Written by Alyssa Whalen
Constellations, Planets, and Astronomical Events Visible in July 2024
Happy Summertime! With the warm weather finally here, it is the perfect time of year to go out and observe! The sun rises around 6:15 am, and sets around 9:00 pm, but we are beginning to lose daylight since we have passed the summer solstice. Nights are growing longer by about one minute every day, and this rate will increase as we approach the Autumnal Equinox in September.
July’s new moon occurs early in the month on July 5th. The new moon is the best time to stargaze, since the moon’s brightness is not present to overpower the fainter objects in the sky. The full moon, while beautiful, makes stargazing difficult, especially in areas with higher light pollution. July’s full moon, known as the Buck moon, occurs on July 21st. The nickname originates from Native American tribes, who named this month’s moon for the male deer who grow out their antlers this time of year.
The Delta Aquarids meteor shower peaks this month! This shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23rd, and it peaks late in the month on the night of July 28th. It is expected to produce around 20 meteors per hour radiating from the constellation Aquarius; however, meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. The half-moon will sadly mask some of the faint meteors, but the bright ones will still put on a show if you are patient enough. Aquarius rises in the East around midnight, so the best viewing will be in the early morning of July 29th.
Another meteor shower is visible this month: the Perseids! This shower doesn’t peak until mid-August but it runs annually from July 17th to August 24th. Meteors will appear in the constellation Perseus, and while it won’t be at its peak rate of 60 meteors per hour until August, it will still provide a good show as it ramps up. Perseus rises around 1 am, so, like the Delta Aquarids, the best time to view them will be before sunrise (between 1 am and 5 am). With the two of these showers occurring back to back, mornings in late July will be filled with meteors!
Both Aquarius and Perseus will rise over the eastern horizon after midnight. They can be found using Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is a distinct constellation of zig-zagging bright stars. Cassiopeia is circumpolar – it never sets below the horizon; instead, it rotates around Polaris as the Earth turns. Therefore, the constellation is always visible, similar to the Big Dipper, which makes it a useful guide constellation. Farther Eastward than Cassiopeia, appearing below is the constellation Perseus. To the south of Perseus is the ring of zodiac constellations, including Aries and Pisces. The object of interest for the Delta Aquarids meteor shower is Aquarius. These constellations might be difficult to see in areas with high light pollution, but the bright meteors will still shine through!
Mercury makes a rare appearance this month! On July 22nd, Mercury will be at its greatest eastern elongation. From our perspective on Earth, Mercury will be at its furthest distance (~27 degrees) from the sun. At this distance, it is still difficult to see, but look to the west right after sunset for a chance to view the Sun’s closest planet. Saturn continues to rise earlier; it is now observable around 11:40 pm. Mars and Jupiter rise slightly later at 2:30 am and 3:15 am respectively. Venus is too close to the sun to observe until much later in the month/beginning of next month. Uranus rises between Mars and Jupiter at 2:20 am in the constellation Taurus near the Pleiades, and Neptune rises after Saturn at midnight.
Sources:
Image Credits:
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Credit: JOHN FINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES
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Constellations: https://stellarium-web.org/
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Mercury: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/From_Messenger_to_BepiColombo