Moon Phase:
First Quarter 7th
Full Moon 14th
Last Quarter 21st
New Moon 29th
Earth at aphelion (furthest from Sun at 152,098,399km): 4th
Planets:
Evening Sky
At the start of the month, Saturn is rising just before 8:30pm (AEST) but by the end of the month is rising just before 6:30pm (AEST). Mercury makes a brief appearance in the last few days of the month low in the western sky. Jupiter is rising late in the evening at the start of the month and is best viewed in the early morning sky.
Saturn is rising in the eastern sky in the constellation Capricornus.
Morning Sky
All five planets visible to the unaided eye are all in the morning sky this month although Jupiter and Saturn now rise in the late evening sky.
Mercury is low in the north-eastern morning sky in the constellation Taurus but becomes lost in the dawn sky before returning to the evening sky in the last few days of the month.
Venus is in the north-eastern morning sky in the constellation Taurus. The brilliantly shining planet starts the month four degrees from orange giant star Aldebaran, the eye of the bull. Just after the middle of the month, Venus moves into the constellation Orion for two days before moving into Gemini.
Mars is in the north-eastern morning sky, starting the month in the constellation Pisces before moving into Aries.
Jupiter is rising in the late evening sky in the constellation Cetus. Best viewing of the giant of our Solar System is in the early morning sky.
Worth a Look:
22nd: Mars and the waning crescent Moon are approximately three degrees apart in the northeastern morning sky.
27th: The narrow waning crescent Moon is directly below the brilliantly shining Venus. The pair are low in the northeastern morning sky before dawn and provide a great opportunity for widefield photographers.
30th: The one-day old waxing crescent Moon is to the right (north) of Mercury in the western twilight sky after sunset. The pair will only be seven degrees above the horizon so a clear view to the west is needed.
31st: Mars and the planet Uranus are two degrees apart, making it easier to locate this distant world. Binoculars or a small telescope will be required to spot Uranus which has a distinct turquoise-blue colour.
You can download a star map for July here.
Clear Skies!
References:
Dawes G., Northfield P., Wallace K. (2020). Astronomy 2022 Australia, Quasar Publishing.
Lomb, N. (2021). 2022 Australasian sky guide. Ultimo, NSW: Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Media.
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