July 2024 Guide to the Bright Planets and Stars
July begins with a gorgeous planetary event that you won’t want to miss! Head outside on July 2 during the morning hours to see Jupiter and Mars meet. Plus, see the full Buck Moon! All the planets are shifting back to the morning sky this month. Here is Bob’s Sky Watch for July.
July 2024 Sky Watch: The Morning Show!
July 1: This morning, around 4:45 A.M., the thin crescent Moon can be seen above Mars, the red planet.
July 2: Today, Jupiter moves into the picture! Look up to the East in the early morning hours (again, around 4:45 A.M.) to see the Moon between Jupiter and Mars. Learn more about the planetary giant, Jupiter.
July 3: Be sure to set your alarm clocks once more! Between 4:45 A.M. and 5:00 A.M., Jupiter and the Moon form a stunning conjunction.
July 5: At 6:57 P.M., the New Moon makes an appearance… or rather, a disappearance? According to the age-old practice of planting the Moon, the ground is the most fertile and wet during the new Moon and the days after. Perhaps it is time to venture into the garden and plant a few mid-summer crops.
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July 13: The First Quarter Moon peaks tonight at 6:49 P.M.
July 14 and 15: It’s time to break out the binoculars! Mars will meet up with Uranus in the early morning, due East (only 30 degrees about the horizon). With your telescopic view, you can observe the green color of Uranus and the orange color of Mars, which will both be located to the right of the Pleiades star cluster and to the upper right of Jupiter.
July 21: It’s a beautiful sight! The Full Buck Moon will be on display at 6:17 A.M. Does the Full Moon make you crazy? We explore Moon Madness.
July 27: The Last Quarter Moon will be back in view on July 27 at 10:52 P.M. Be sure to check out why we call it a quarter Moon and not a half Moon.
July 30: Throughout the month of July, Mars and Jupiter have been steadily approaching each other. We close out the month with these two planets forming a tight triangle with the crescent Moon tonight.
Look forward to August and beyond for the Top Astronomical Events for 2024!
Summer Meteors
This year, the beautiful Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks on July 29 through 30. Their hourly rate at the peak is 10 meteors per hour. Always look towards the darkest part of the sky, typically away from the moon, to see a shooting star. See tips for viewing meteor showers.
Credit: NASA
Stargazing in July
July’s best constellation is the Summer Triangle, shining bright and high in the evening sky! See our free star chart and have fun spotting the Summer triangle this month!
Bob Berman
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I have a telescope I haven't used yet~the sky is so pretty as it is !!! I use the Big Dipper as my location~
in other words; are u saying the Planets appear in a different Constellation at different times of year? r u saying the Astrological signs are actually Constellations; I guess the night sky is like a map with different constellations; and the planets might be in one constellation or another; interesting!!
Interestingly, the word “planet” comes from the Greek word for “wanderer.” They do indeed “wander” across the sky, however, it’s in a limited way. They move from west to east most of the time and sometimes seem to stop and move westward (retrograde motion). However, they do always stay amongst the twelve constellations of the zodiac.
Thanks to Bob Bergman & FA I've really taken an interest in Star-Planet Watching; appreciate the info: The planets move from west to east most of the time. : )
Dear Bob,
These are excellent columns, but I always get them well into the month they are talking about. Would it be possible to publish each month on the first of the month or the day before? Thank you.
We will plan to publish each month’s sky watch on the first of the month.
Thank you for the sky watch .. I love it !
Thank you for this wonderful information! I look forward to it every month!
