In July 2023, Mars and Venus begin the month close together however eventually part methods. Mars lines up carefully with the star Regulus on July 10th and 9th. The complete moon on July 3rd, brand-new moon on July 18th, and a crescent moon appearing close to Mars on July 20th are other highlights.
What are some skywatching highlights in July 2023? Mars and Venus start the month close together, however part methods and head lower as July goes on. Mars appears very near Regulus in Leo on the 9th and 10th. Saturn and Jupiter rule the night, together with intense star Fomalhaut. And July is prime-time show for seeing the Milky Way core from dark sky locations.
Mars and Venus shine after sunset, while Jupiter and Saturn rule the early morning sky. If you can get to dark skies, and the Milky Way is a must-see. More July highlights:
A detailed sky chart shows the morning sky dealing with south, one hour before sunrise in July. Now, Saturn travels throughout the sky with intense star Fomalhaut in July. Sky chart revealing where to discover the Milky Way core in the July night sky.
Sky chart revealing Mars and Venus low in the western sky in mid-July. The pair appear a bit lower as the month goes on. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Video Transcript
Whats Up for July? Mars and Venus go their different methods, Saturn cruises with a dirty young star, and its prime-time show for the Milky Way.
Youll find Venus and Mars in the west after sunset throughout July. The pair moved ever closer in the sky during June, and they begin July appearing quite close to each other, but its time for them to part business. Youll see them trending lower as the month goes on, with Venus in specific being significantly lower each night.
Throughout the 2nd week of July, reddish-colored Mars will appear very close the blue-white star Regulus. Mars is rather distant from Earth right now, and appears at its dimmest for the year in July and August. This month it appears at about the very same brightness as Regulus, and you should quickly be able to see the distinction in their color with your eyes, or a pair of field glasses. Theyre closest together on July 9th and 10th.
Sky chart revealing Mars just a couple of degrees apart from Regulus on July 9 and 10. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
And on the 20th, the Moon will go through, appearing just next to Mars. Mercury likewise appears– rather low in the sky– in the 2nd half of July, for those with views of the horizon.
During July, youll have giant worlds Jupiter and Saturn keeping you company in the late night and morning hours. And especially, youll find Jupiter shining vibrantly beneath the crescent moon on the early morning of July 11th. Now, Jupiter appears rather a bit brighter than Saturn, however its not even if Jupiters a little bigger.
See, the further away something is in area, the fainter it tends to be, and Saturns certainly farther away from Earth than Jupiter. However its likewise farther away from the Sun, and being more distant methods it gets much less sunshine than Jupiter to begin with.
Its the combination of being both farther from the Sun and farther from Earth that makes Saturn appear so much fainter.
A detailed sky chart reveals the early morning sky facing south, one hour before daybreak in July. The star Fomalhaut is about midway between Saturn and the horizon, near.
Now, Saturn cruises across the sky with bright star Fomalhaut in July. At around 440 million years old, Fomalhaut is a relatively young star. NASAs Webb Space Telescope just recently revealed new information in the dirty particles disk that surrounds it.
Webb showed that theres more structure in the disk than was formerly known, with 3 distinct belts made from particles from accidents of larger bodies, most likely not unlike the asteroids and comets in our own planetary system. And scientists think the belts more than likely are sculpted by the gravitational forces produced by hidden planets. Its a good pointer that most stars you look upon represent entire planetary systems. Each one is a sun, and a lot of have a household of worlds in orbit around them.
Sky chart showing where to find the Milky Way core in the July night sky. Dark skies are essential for observing the Milky Way, due to the fact that brilliant city lights overwhelm its faint glow. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A suggestion that July is prime time for seeing the bright core of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The Milky Way core shows up looking toward the south in July, as a faint, diagonal band of light, as quickly as its totally dark. Loaded with enormous numbers of stars, along with dark clouds of dust, you can see its faint radiance with your own eyes from areas away from intense metropolitan centers.
So if you have the opportunity to go outdoor camping or skywatching far from the city, its truly one of the most awe inspiring sights of the night sky, and not to be missed out on!
The stages of the Moon for July 2023. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Above are the stages of the Moon for July.
The complete moon on July 3rd, new moon on July 18th, and a crescent moon appearing close to Mars on July 20th are other highlights. And July is prime time for seeing the Milky Way core from dark sky locations.
July 3– Full moon
July 9 & & 10– Red Planet Mars appears extremely close to intense blue-white star Regulus. The difference in their color ought to be simple to see with your eyes or a set of binoculars.
July 11– This early morning Jupiter shines brightly below the crescent Moon in the eastern sky before dawn.
July 18– New Moon. The brand-new moon is a terrific time for stargazing or viewing the Milky Way, due to the fact that the sky is extra dark all night without any moonlight to rinse fainter meteors and stars.
July 20– The crescent Moon will appear ideal beside Mars in the western sky following sundown. Venus will be below them, rather low in the sky.
All month– Venus and Mars show up in the west after sunset. They appear farther apart and somewhat lower in the sky as the month goes on.
All month– Saturn sits high in the south in the late night and early morning hours, with bright star Fomalhaut noticeable about halfway in between the horizon and the world.
All month– The core of our galaxy, the Milky Way, forms a faint, diagonal band of light toward the south as quickly as its totally dark. Youll require to be under dark skies away from city lights to see it, as light contamination quickly overwhelms its subtle glow.