Mars And Venus In Early Morning Sky, Milky Way Toward South — Cosmic Marvels To Look Out For In July

July astronomy highlights: Planets that will illuminate the July sky include Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. People can also spot the bright star Fomalhaut in the skies. 

July astronomy highlights: In July, people can view the core of the Milky Way towards the south as a faint, diagonal band of light, as soon as it is fully dark. The core is packed with a large number of stars, along with dark clouds of dust.

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July skywatching highlights: The month of July will be special for stargazers because they will be able to see the core of the galaxy we live in, the Milky Way. Planets that will illuminate the July sky include Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. People can also spot the bright star Fomalhaut in the skies. The following is the list of cosmic marvels that will be visible in the July sky, and the dates on which they can be seen.

Mars

On July 9 and 10, the Red Planet will appear very close to the bright blue-white star Regulus. One can spot the difference in the colours of Mars and Regulus with their eyes or a pair of binoculars. 

However, Mars appears at its dimmest for the year in July and August because the Red Planet is quite distant from Earth during these months. 

The Red Planet and Regulus will have about the same brightness.

Jupiter

On July 11, Jupiter will shine brightly beneath the crescent Moon in the eastern sky before sunrise. Jupiter will also appear slightly brighter than Saturn. 

New Moon

The New Moon rises on July 18. Since the sky is extra dark all night with no moonlight to wash out fainter stars and meteors, other astronomical objects can be clearly viewed. 

Crescent Moon, Mars and Venus

On July 20, the crescent Moon will appear near Mars in the western sky after sunset. Below the pair, Venus can be seen quite low in the sky. 

Mercury

In the second half of July, Mercury can be seen quite low in the sky. Therefore, people living near the horizon can view Mercury. 

Venus and Mars

For the entire month, Venus and Mars are visible in the west after sunset, and appear farther apart and slightly lower in the sky as the month goes on. 

Saturn and Fomalhaut

Every night and in the early morning hours of July, Saturn appears high in the south with Fomalhaut, a bright star. Fomalhaut is visible about halfway between Saturn and the horizon. The star is around 440 million years old, and a fairly young star in astronomical terms. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope revealed new details in the dusty debris disk surrounding Fomalhaut. 

Milky Way

People can view the core of the Milky Way towards the south as a faint, diagonal band of light, as soon as it is fully dark. The core is packed with a large number of stars, along with dark clouds of dust.