July 2024

Send us Fan Mail July’s fireworks include Saturn coming back around closer to being an evening planet, Mercury and Venus dancing low in the evenings, and some magic between the Moon and Spica. Naked-eye PLANETS Sunset Mercury, Venus - Finally a little excitement in the evenings. Mercury will be around 10-15° above the W horizon all month right at sunset, challenging you to find it in the glare of the setting Sun. If you don’t find it this month, you’ll have to wait until some mornings in August. Venus, on the other hand starts its evening apparition that’ll last until Mid-March. It won’t get any higher than 10° at sunset this month, so it’ll be challenging you as well, but should be a little easier than Mercury, given its brightness. Again, look W, but about 10° to the right of Mercury. Use these next 9 months and your telescope to watch Venus go through its phases. It’s almost full right now, will then go half, crescent, and then pass between the Sun and Earth in March. Middle of the night Saturn - You’ll still have to stay up late this month to catch it, but we’re getting closer to the ringed planet being visible all night. In the beginning of the month, Saturn rises in the East around 12:30am, earlier every day, until it rises on the 31st just after 10pm. The later you stay up and the later in the month it is, the higher it’ll get up to 45°, and the further South and West it’ll go, but always gorgeous through the scope with its rings just about edge-on. Morning Jupiter, Mars, Saturn – Jupiter and Mars get closer together, as Saturn moves far away from the both of them. LUNAR CLOSE ENCOUNTERS 1st - Waning Crescent Moon is just above Mars in the AM 3rd - Up and to the left of Jupiter in the AM 6th - Above Venus, to the left of Mercury, NNW just after sunset 7th - Above Mercury, NNW just after sunset 24th - To the right of Saturn, after 11pm, waning gibbous 25th - To the left of Saturn, after 11pm, waning gibbous 30th - Above Mars and Jupiter, ENE after 2am, waning crescent 31st - Left of Jupiter, ENE after 2am, waning crescent 13th – Lunar Occultation of Spica – Not so common to be able to see a star stop shining and then start back up again…sort of. Check https://is.gd/july2024spica for timings for your area, but the gist is that North and Central America, particularly on the Eastern side, will be able to watch Spica wink out as the dark side of the Moon crosses in front of it. As an example, if you live near Harrisburg, PA, look WSW for the Moon after 11pm. Right around 11:24pm Spica will disappear. Unfortunately, this happens only about 10° above the horizon, leaving the reappearance invisible to us. Reappearance will be visible before the Moon hits the horizon if you live approximately west of the Mississippi. And that’s the sky for this month! If you find this advance notice of the night sky helpful, please support this work by finding Last Minute Astronomer on Patreon, and don’t forget to follow Last Minute Astronomer on Facebook and Instagram. Till next month, I’m the Last Minute Astronomer wishing you fruitful plans and clear skies. Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.