BACKYARD STARGAZER: July’s night surprises
Diagram showing how to use your hand and fingers to measure celestial constallations and their movement. CONTRIBUTED IMAGE
By Francis Parnell
At dusk in July Venus, Mercury, Mars, and the Moon meet in the evening sky.
At dusk on the 1st, face west to observe Venus and red Mars about 3.5 degrees apart.
At 4:06 p.m. on the 6th, Earth is at Aphelion, farthest from the Sun all year at 94,506,364 miles. On January 4th Earth was 3.4% closer at Perihelion, 91.4-million miles. After sunset the waning gibbous Moon rises in the east-southeast in tandem with Saturn; about 3 degrees separates the pair.
At dusk on the 9th, Mars and Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, shine above the western horizon with less than 1 degree between them. Venus blazes about 4 degrees lower right of the pair. Binoculars will give a nice view of this close conjunction.
On the 20th after sunset, look toward the west to see a celestial triangle of the waxing crescent Moon about 10 degrees above Venus with red Mars about 12 degrees right of Venus.
Face south-southwest at 9 p.m. on the 23rd, the almost first-quarter Moon is 2 degrees below Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.
After sunset on the 28th, face south-southwest to see the waxing gibbous Moon about 5 degrees left of red Antares, the heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion.
“Keep looking up!”