Stars over Sisters

Besides the usual fireworks used on July 4 to celebrate our country's independence, July 2018 skies will be lit up by a parade of all five naked-eye planets in the evening sky - highlighted by a close approach of Mars.

Early in the month, attention should first be given to the planet Mercury hovering low in the western sky. On July 12 the smallest orb in the solar system will be at its greatest eastern elongation, placing it a full 26 degrees from the sun. Throughout the remainder of the month, Mercury gradually sinks back toward the sun, making it harder to see.

Up and to the left of Mercury is Venus, the brightest planet in the sky. Only the sun and moon shine brighter. Its orbit brings earth's twin (at least by size) closer than any other planet. Venus simply can't be missed. It spends the month among the stars of Leo.

Progressing eastward across the sky brings into view another bright planet, the largest in the solar system in fact. Jupiter has more mass than all the other planets combined. Almost any backyard telescope will reveal the planet's bands and its four Galilean moons. Mighty Jupiter spends the month in Libra.

Next up is Saturn, which for most observers is the crown jewel of the solar system. When atmospheric turbulence is at a minimum, a view of its ring system through a telescope is beyond compare. Saturn resides in Sagittarius.

But the main feature in our celestial tour of the planets takes place in the neighboring constellation of Capricornus. On July 27 Mars and the earth will be at opposition, meaning that Mars and the sun will be at opposite parts of the sky relative to the earth. This geometric configuration will also bring Mars closer to the earth than it has been in 15 years. The distance between the two planets will actually be closest (35.8 million miles) four days after opposition.

During late July the reddish hue of Mars will be the brightest light in the sky, except for the moon and Venus. Unfortunately, the light of a full moon on July 27 will tend to inhibit the ability to see Mars at its brightest. Better views will come early in August. The next chance to see a Mars opposition this good won't come around again until the year 2035. So don't miss this opportunity.

The full moon on July 27 was known as the Buck moon by early Native Americans. This was due to the male deer beginning to grow its antlers around that time of year. On this same night a total lunar eclipse will occur in which the Moon will pass entirely through the Earth's shadow, causing it to slowly get darker and change to a rusty red color. It will be seen in most of Europe, Africa, western and central Asia, the Indian Ocean and Western Australia, but not in our part of the world.

Of course, there are many summertime constellations to locate. Some of these include Ursa Major (AKA Big Dipper), Hercules, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Scorpius, Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila, and more! Also, if you are able to spot the three bright stars Deneb (in Cygnus), Vega (in Lyra), and Altair (in Aquila), then you are looking at the Summer Triangle.

Somewhat more challenging are the many fine deep-sky objects scattered across the summer sky. Some of the brightest of these include open star clusters M11 in Scutum, and M6 and M7 in Scorpius, globular clusters M13 in Hercules and M22 in Sagittarius, and M8, a stellar birthing region, also in Sagittarius. Pick a clear, moonless night away from the lights of town. For best results, use a pair of binoculars.

These are just a few of the many spectacular things in the sky you could witness for yourself during July. So get out there with a couple of blankets and see what you can find while watching the night sky.