Go Stargazing! July Edition

During July, you can watch a great planet race, as Venus closes in on Mars while they both close in on Saturn!

Saturn is now in the south southwest at dusk.  Look just to the west of due south, about 2/3 of the way up from the horizon to the zenith.

Venus remains high in the evening sky during July.  Face west at dusk and look for a point of light that outshines everything in the sky but the Sun and the Moon.

Mars is also in the western sky.  Look in the west at dusk for a reddish point of light between Venus and Saturn.

Observe all three carefully throughout July and watch as they get closer together.  By July 31, Mars will have caught up to Saturn, with Venus only about 7.5 degrees away.  Keep watching next month as Mars moves ahead of Saturn and Venus passes them both.

Jupiter is in the south at dawn this month.  It outshines all stars in the sky, so it’s easy to find.  By July 31, Jupiter rises at about 11 p.m.; it will be a late evening object next month.

In the west, a distinct backwards question mark shape outlines the mane and forepaws of Leo, the Lion.  Three stars forming a right triangle are to its upper left; they mark Leo’s hindquarters.  This month, the Lion serves as the backdrop for the great planet race described above.  The Big Dipper is high in the northwest at dusk. You can extend the curve of its handle to ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica.’  These stars high in the west and southwest, respectively, by dusk tonight.  Arcturus, by the way, is the fourth brightest star we ever see at night, but the brightest one Americans ever see in all of July.

In the east, look for the enormous Summer Triangle, consisting of the stars Deneb, Vega, and Altair.   This triangle is up all night long in July, hence its name.  Scorpius, the Scorpion, is in the southeast at dusk.  Sagittarius, the Archer, known for its ‘teapot’ asterism, is to its left.  Between these two star patterns is the center of our Milky Way—the brightest part of that band as wee see it.  On a cloudless night far from the big city, see if you notice the Milky Way glow near the ‘teapot’ of Sagittarius.

Summer Triangle

Moon Phases in July 2010:

Last Quarter                       July 4, 9:36 am

New Moon                            July 11, 2:40 pm

1st Quarter                         July 18, 5:11 am

Full Moon                            July 25, 8:36 pm

Flag of Turkey
Creative Commons License photo credit: steelight

The new moon of Sunday, July 11, will align precisely with the sun and Earth, casting its shadow on the Earth.  This will cause a total solar eclipse.

Unfortunately, the shadow’s path is entirely over the South Pacific Ocean.  Easter Island and certain islands of French Polynesia are the only land where totality can be seen.  Even partial phases are visible only from South America.

On Tuesday, July 6, Earth is as far from the sun as it will get this year, a position called aphelion.  Remember, the Earth’s orbit is not quite a circle but an ellipse.  We are therefore slightly closer to the Sun in January than in July.  Also, remember that the difference between our January and July distances from the Sun is small.  When it comes to making us hotter or colder, the effect of our axial tilt dominates.