As we get into the thick of the summer, the sun starts to set much later, making more celestial events visible in the middle of the night. If you want to see any events in the coming months, you may have to wake up early or stay up late, but trust me, it's worth it. There are many opportunities for you to lose sleep this month with a lot of astronomical events in line.
We start with something that may not be too interesting for some but it’s the New Moon. Unfortunately for most, you can’t exactly see the new Moon but a big pro to this event is being able to see the stars and constellations. Having the moon in the night sky shields the luminosity emitted from some stars, making them hard to see. So be sure to soak in this stargazing on July 5!
The fun continues that day when Earth will be at aphelion, meaning it will reach the farthest point from the Sun. This event occurs every year, around two weeks after the summer solstice. This doesn’t necessarily create drastic effects on Earth, the only big difference is its distance from the sun.
On July 6, the dwarf planet Ceres will be in opposition in the sky. No, that does not mean it’ll be on the opposing team or anything! Whenever a celestial body is said to be in opposition it means the body and the sun will be on opposite sides of each other with Earth in the middle. These events are always easy to catch with the naked eye as all the sunlight is hitting the celestial body. You can spot the dwarf planet near the handle of the teapot in the Sagittarius constellation. If you’re having trouble spotting this constellation, try using a star-tracking app because it’ll save a lot of time!
Six days later, one of the smallest planets visible in the sky will reach its peak in the evening sky: Mercury. The planet has already reached its morning peak in May and has whipped around the Sun to greet us at another time in the day. You may need binoculars or really good eyesight to spot the planet as it is quite small!
On July 21, there will be a full moon known as the Buck Moon. This month’s moon was named the buck because this is the month when deer antlers are in full growth after shedding during the spring months. As mentioned previously, the Moon can be quite bright when it's full, making the stars appear dim in the night sky.
This month a lot of celestial bodies are going into opposition it seems! Pluto is following in Ceres' footsteps as it’ll also be in opposition on July 23. Even though the Sun will illuminate the dwarf planet, it still won’t be enough to see it with the naked eye meaning that you’ll need some equipment to view it. So if you have a telescope or a pair of binoculars lying around, be sure to use them and look in the constellation, Capricornus, to see it.
On July 28, the peak of the Piscis Austrinids Meteor Shower will occur. To keep the fun going, another meteor shower called the Delta Aquariids shower will peak on July 30 and 31! The Piscis Austrinids shower can be best viewed after midnight and in the early hours of July 28. Look towards the east at approximately 45 degrees above the horizon. The Delta Aquariids will be visible from July 18 to August 21 and can be best viewed in the southern hemisphere or the southern latitudes of the northern hemisphere. These meteors will be going quite fast, around 40 kilometres per second. No need to worry if you don't own a telescope or binoculars to watch these showers. All you need is a comfortable spot and a blanket and you’re all set!
That sums up the celestial events for July. There are many more celestial events in July than what is listed here, but these are the ones that may interest most and can be easily viewed. If you’re having trouble finding things in the night sky, like Pluto or Mercury, try using one of the astronomy apps such as Star Tracker!
Try your best to see one of these events or explore the night sky and the beautiful constellations! Let your curiosity flow because who knows what you may stumble upon! Trust me, it’ll be worth feeling tired the next day.