Our natural satellite will pass by Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and
Mercury in the early days of July.
All three of Earth's inner solar system neighbors as well as the two
biggest planets that circle the sun will be passed by the moon in early
July.
First, early in the month, before daybreak, you may see the moon alongside
the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter. Mars, Venus, and a crescent moon will all
appear near one another later in July after sunset.
From every location in the globe with clear skies, the Earth's moon and all
five planets will be readily visible with the unaided eye. A fine little
telescope or a decent pair of astronomy binoculars will, however, improve
the view.
On July 7, a waning gibbous moon that is 80% illuminated will be seen just
below Saturn, marking the first conjunction of the moon and a planet. A
conjunction is a celestial occurrence in which two objects appear near to
one another in Earth's night sky. The two objects will appear in the night
sky in the southeast early in the morning and remain there until dawn.
A waning gibbous moon with a 37% illumination level will rise in the east
late that evening on July 11 and will be somewhat above Jupiter. The moon
will be seen slightly below Jupiter the next morning after waning to a 27%
illumination.
From July 19 to July 21, the thin waxing gibbous crescent moon will be
tightly united with Mercury, Venus, and Mars, the other three rocky planets
in the solar system.
But on July 19, when the crescent moon will only be 5% bright, it will be
the hardest night to view it near to the rocky planets. Mercury, which will
be quite low on the horizon, will likewise be in this situation. However,
the crescent moon will be well visible with brilliant Venus, and Mars will
be clearly visible overhead. Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, which will
be situated between Venus and Mars, should not be confused with Mars. When
The Curves Line Up,
a website hosted by astronomer Jeffrey Hunt, advises using binoculars,
finding a clean view toward the western horizon, and starting searching
approximately 35 minutes after sunset.
On July 20, which marks the 54th anniversary of Apollo 11, the first lunar
landing, it will be considerably simpler to see the crescent moon. The moon
will have ascended higher and shone with Mars, slightly above Venus, in
addition to being 10% illuminated. Mercury will stay low on the horizon
towards the west-northwest. Watch for the "Da Vinci glow" on the moon's
shadowy limb as you stare at the three planets. The phenomenon, also known
as Earthshine, is brought on by sunlight that is reflected off of Earth's
seas, clouds, and ice.
The crescent moon will rise even higher above the western horizon the
following evening, July 21, but it will be aligned with Mars and Venus.
Venus will be to the left of Mercury.
The moon will leave the scene and ascend higher into the sky after sunset
the following evenings, with Venus falling into the sun's brightness and
Mercury continuing to rise above it. According to
Adler Planetarium, on July 28, Mercury will shine in the dusk barely a tenth of a degree
away from Regulus. Even to the unaided eye, it should be a fantastic
sight.
Using the Night Sky page on
timeanddate
or planetarium software like
Stellarium Web Online Star Map, you may determine the precise rise and set times for the planets in your
area.
