Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All times and dates are given in Universal Time (UT). Daily darkness estimates are calculated for Greenwich, London (51.5° N, 0° W).
Calendar of Events - July
| Date | Event |
|---|
| 1 | Thu |
Moon at perigee |
| 2 | Fri |
Full Moon |
| 5 | Mon |
Because the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is elliptical instead of circular, the distance between our planet and our star varies during the year. Aphelion, when the Earth is farthest to the Sun, always occurs in the first few days of July. |
| 8 | Thu |
Saturn at conjunction |
| Binoculars or a small telescope will be necessary to see tenth-magnitude 3 Juno at opposition in the constellation Aquila. |
| 9 | Fri |
Last Quarter Moon |
| 14 | Wed |
Moon at apogee |
| 17 | Sat |
New Moon |
| 25 | Sun |
First Quarter Moon |
| 27 | Tue |
Mercury at greatest elongation east |
| The southern branch of the Delta Aquariids meteor shower is ruined by the waxing gibbous Moon. |
| 30 | Fri |
Moon at perigee |
| 31 | Sat |
The second Full Moon in a calendar month is popularly, if mistakenly, called a Blue Moon. |
The Solar System
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Sun
- Location: Gemini -> Cancer
- Mercury
- Location: Gemini -> Cancer -> Leo
Southern observers see this tiny planet appear ever higher in the west after sunset. From northern latitudes it appears to rise until mid-month and then sink back towards the Sun.
- Venus
- Location: Taurus
After last month's spectacular transit, Venus now appears in the east before sunrise, taking on the identity of the "morning star". It rises quickly for those in the north but southern hemisphere observers see it climb in the sky more slowly.
- Mars
- Location: Cancer -> Leo
The red planet appears west of Jupiter as it sets in the early evening.
- Jupiter
- Location: Leo
Jupiter sets by mid-evening.
- Saturn
- Location: Gemini
The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft enters orbit around the ringed planet on the first day of the month. However, with Saturn at conjunction early this month, the planet will be impossible to observe most of the month.
- Uranus
- Location: Aquarius
An approaching opposition next month means that Uranus is up nearly all night.
- Neptune
- Location: Capricornus
This distant blue gas giant is up practically all night as it approaches opposition early next month.
- Pluto
- Location: Serpens (Cauda)
With a brightness of around fourteenth magnitude, the smallest planet in the solar system can be seen only through a good-sized telescope. It sets in the early morning hours.
The Celestial Sphere
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
For More Information...
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of your favourite amateur astronomy magazine available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2004 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Obliquity
Last modified on 30 June 2004
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2004/jul2004.html