The Night Sky in July 2026
Midsummer solstice has passed and now gradually the days will get shorter and the nights longer as
the Sun starts moving south in the skies. While not making non astronomers happy it makes those
that love their night skies look forward to the opportunities to observe longer.
Noctilucent clouds will still be visible for the first 2 weeks around 1.5 to 2 hrs after sunset.
Meteors
There is an excellent chance of observing the Southern Delta Aquarids this month.
They begin on 12th July and peaks on 30th July, best observed from midnight onwards as our part of
the globe points towards our direction of travel around the Sun. No equipment other than a decent
recliner is needed. Look to the south of the sky and up at about 60°. Though the peak is at the end of
the month they can be observed from 12th July to 23rd August. The meteors are thought to be the
remains of a comet 69P Machholz. See Southern Delta Aquariids – Wikipedia for more information.
Another good meteor shower the Perseids begins on 17th July, just as the Moon is starting to reach
its gibbous phase, the maximum will be next month around 12-13th August. Perseids – Wikipedia
The Moon
July starts with a just pass full phase Moon, last quarter occurs on the 7th and a New Moon on the
14th July, going back to full phase on the 28th July.
In England there are references of this Moon being called the Thunder, Wort or Hay Moon. Indeed
we see hay being cut in the countryside around us here in our part of Norfolk.
In North America among the 1st Nation People this Moon is sometimes known as the Buck Moon, at
this time of the year the buck deer start to get new antler growth. Among the plains Indians it was
‘The Moon when the Buffalo bellow’.
The Planets
Mercury: Is very low in the west in the evening and hard to observe, but after the 21st it appears as a
morning object and will climb to 15° around 2nd August.
Venus: Will be about 15º above the horizon at the start of the month, it will increase in brilliance
from -4.07 to -4.22, but it does get lower as the month goes on. On the 17th July at 21:30 BST it will
be close to the New Moon.
Mars: A pre-dawn planet along with Uranus. For those up early they can see Mars rising between
the Pleiades and the Hyades, the head of Taurus. And on 4th July it is just within 9 arcminutes of
Uranus.
From www.theskylive.com
Jupiter: Is very low in the western skies at sunset and will be lost from view
Saturn: Early this month Saturn is not best placed for observing in the Northern hemisphere, a
morning planet low in the sky. But by the end of the month it will be 30° above the NE horizon.
Neptune: A 1° pair with Saturn where it will be to Saturn’s north.
The Stars
At this time of the year the Milky was appears to run vertically across the night sky from North to
South.
One of the brightest stars in the night sky at this time of year is Vega in the constellation of Lyra, The
Lyre. To see it just look directly overhead.
The Summer Triangle of Vega (in Lyra), Deben (Cygnus) and Altair (Aquila) form the asterism.
Nearby will be the constellation of Hercules, easily picked out by the central body of it, a keystone
shape of four stars. If you face south, look up and between the two stars that mark the right side of
the keystone using binoculars you will be able to pick out a fuzzy blob M13. See Hercules
Constellation: Stars, Myth, Facts, Location… – Constellation Guide (constellation-guide.com)
If you are lucky enough to have open views to the south then look for the bright star Antares. It
should have an orange tint. It lies in the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion. Here in the Northern
hemisphere it is low down and we can only pick out the section from the head to the central body. It
is a beautiful constellation and one I loved gazing at when I lived in Australia where it was always
high in the sky. Scorpius – Wikipedia
Antares is a super red giant, if it were to be our Sun it would reach out to the orbit of Jupiter…12
times the size of our Sun. Antares – Wikipedia
Close to Scorpius to the east is Sagittarius, the Archer, again part of the 12 zodiac constellations.
Looking towards this you are looking towards the centre of our galaxy. If we were further south the
Milky Way is incredibly bright in this area. Sagittarius (constellation) – Wikipedia
The Pleiades start to make their morning appearance and in New Zealand the first sighting of the
rising above the Pacific is the start of the Māori New Year, Matariki day.
Draco is high in the night sky and hosts a large number of grey fuzzies, for those with imaging set ups
there are 10 NGC objects around it including the Cat’s Eye nebula NGC 6543.
Although we will not be able to see it for those in the southern hemisphere the Pleiades start to rise
over the Pacific. In New Zealand this is celebrated as the start of the Maori new year and it is a
national holiday, the Matariki Festival. It shows how different cultures see the various constellations.
Draco (constellation) – Wikipedia
Night sky south 4th July 22:00 www.skylive.com
Clear Skies!
Frank Dutton FRAS
Kings Lynn & District Astronomical Society.