July skies

Posted on 2007 January 01 @ 00:01 - filed under Astronomy.

Mercury is visible from the second week in the morning sky. Venus is prominent in the evening sky, setting about three hours after the Sun. Mars can be seen in the morning sky, rising well after midnight. Jupiter is visible in the evening sky, setting well after midnight. Saturn is in the evening sky, setting about two hours after the Sun.

Early evening Crux and the Pointers are high up above the southern horizon and Canopus is prominent in the south-west. Lower down lies Canis Major. Looking north-west, Venus dominates the dusk sky, accompanied by Regulus (in Leo), with Saturn lower down. High in the north is Arcturus (in Bootes) and above it, near the zenith, Spica (in Virgo). Well-placed in the east are Scorpius and Jupiter, with Sagittarius and the galactic centre lower down. The Milky Way runs roughly east-west, passing south of the zenith. The brightest stars near the zenith belong to Centaurus.

Around midnight, looking south, Crux and the Pointers lie to the right, and Achernar (in Eridanus) to the left. To the west, Spica and Corvus are setting, while Arcturus is low down in the north-west. High up in the west, Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky, near Antares (in Scorpius). Facing north, Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (in Cygnus) and Altair (in Aquila) form a conspicuous triangle. Looking east Fomalhaut (in Piscis Austrinus) is prominent. The Milky Way arches overhead, with Sagittarius and the centre of our Galaxy at the zenith.

Before sunrise, facing south, Crux is at its lowest point, while Achernar lies high up. In the south-west, Sagittarius hugs the horizon, and in the west, Fomalhaut is prominent (early in the month, Altair can still be seen). In the north-west, Pegasus leaps can be seen. High in the north is Mars. Looking east, Aldebaran (in Taurus), Orion and Canis Major are prominent, with Sirius the brightest object in the sky. The bright stars of Carina, Vela and Puppis, including Canopus, lie to the south-east. No conspicuous stars are near the zenith, and the Milky Way lies along the horizon, prominent in the south-west early in the month, and prominent in the south-east in the later part of July.

July events

Constellations

Constellations visible from Southern Africa at 21:00 SAST (* = overhead):

Apus, Ara, Boötes, Carina, Centaurus*, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Corona Australis, Corona Borealis, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Dorado, Grus, Hercules, Hydra, Hydrus, Indus, Libra*, Lupus*, Mensa, Microscopium, Musca, Norma*, Octans, Ophiuchus, Pavo, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Reticulum, Sagittarius, Scorpius*, Scutum, Serpens, Telescopium, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Virgo, Volans.

• Top 100 Deepsky Objects observing programme

• Southern Sky Talk podcast

Keywords: Astronomy, Southern Sky Almanack, 2007, monthly sky review, Southern Sky Talk podcast

This website is licensed under an attribution-noncommercial 2.5 creative commons license and is © 2005-2007 Auke Slotegraaf.