What’s Up in the Sky in July?
The night skies are still at their brightest in the Northern Hemisphere in July after the solstice, but if you’re willing to get up a bit early or stay up a bit late, there is still much to see. Dark nights in the Southern Hemisphere give more time to observe the planets and stars, and also more time in bed.
Whichever hemisphere you’re in, there is a lot to see in the sky, and this month, the Moon does the rounds and cozies up to Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars.
The Northern and Southern Hemisphere| Date | Event* | What to See |
|---|---|---|
| July 10 | Full Moon | July’s Buck Moon is at its most illuminated at 20:36 UTC. |
| July 16 | Moon-Saturn conjunction | The Waning Gibbous Moon has a close approach with Saturn. Find them moving from the east to the south between midnight and sunrise. |
| July 20 | Moon occults Pleiades | The Waning Crescent Moon passes in front of the Pleiades star cluster in the early hours in North America. |
| July 21 | Moon-Venus conjunction | Get up early to see the thin Waning Crescent Moon with a very bright Venus on the eastern horizon. |
| July 23 | Moon-Jupiter conjunction | Look for Jupiter near the thinnest crescent of the almost New Moon just before sunrise. |
| July 28 | Moon-Mars conjunction | Find the Waxing Crescent Moon and Mars above the western horizon just after sunset. |
*Naked-eye events. Night Sky Map links are from New York City, USA.
July Stargazing: Pleiades Occultation
On July 20, the Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades star cluster in the early morning in New York and the rest of the USA and Canada. Because the Moon is in the waning crescent phase, it will be less bright and look quite spectacular as it passes in front of the star cluster.
Other locations might not see the occultation, but the Pleiades will be near the Moon. Search for Alcyone—the cluster’s brightest star—in our Night Sky Map and use the calendar to select July 19–20. Use the slider to find your best time, and click on the stars around to explore the cluster.
The Pleiades are a familiar friend in the night sky, and the star cluster is easily recognizable, especially near the Moon. It really is worth getting up early if you’re lucky enough to see the occultation from where you live. And even if you miss the occultation, it is very special to see the Pleiades next to the Crescent Moon.
Anne Buckle, Web Editor & Journalist
timeanddate.comThe Pleiades open star cluster, or Messier 45 as it’s technically known, can be seen most of the year in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The stars Maia, Electra, Taygeta, Celaeno, Alcyone, Asterope, and Merope are known as the Seven Sisters and get their names from Greek mythology. They were the daughters of Atlas and Pleione.
In Japan, they are known as Subaru and are famously used as the logo for the Japanese car brand. In New Zealand, the Pleiades’ heliacal rising in late June or early July signaled the beginning of the new year in the Māori culture and is known as Matariki. Heliacal rising refers to the first visible rising of a star or planet in the morning sky.
Earth at Its Farthest from the Sun
On July 3, at 19:54 UTC, Earth will be at its farthest point from the Sun—known as aphelion. On that time and date, the distance from the Sun’s center to Earth’s center will be 152,087,738 kilometers (94,502,939 miles).
It is Earth’s tilt, and not its distance from the Sun, that causes seasons, and gives us summer in the Northern Hemisphere right now. However, one of the consequences of aphelion is that there is more sunlight and summer lasts longer in the Northern Hemisphere. This results from Earth’s elliptical path around the Sun: When Earth is farther from the Sun, it moves more slowly along its orbit and takes more time to go from a solstice to an equinox.
Oppositely, in the Southern Hemisphere, summer coincides with perihelion in January, Earth’s closest point to the Sun, and Earth moves more quickly and takes less time to go from a solstice to an equinox. This makes the northern summer around 4 days longer than the southern summer.
What are equinoxes and solstices?Sirius & the Dog Days of Summer
You might have heard about the Dog Days of Summer? It is known as the time of year when it’s hot, humid, and the milk spoils quickly. But did you know that it’s connected to the star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major?
What are constellations?
In ancient Egyptian times, the heliacal rising of Sirius was associated with the yearly flooding of the Nile, giving water to the crops. This happened in July, and the star was worshipped as a goddess.
The ancient Greeks were not so keen. For them, Sirius appearing above the horizon just before the Sun indicated a time of heat, drought, and sickness. They believed that Sirius rising and setting with the Sun increased the summer heat. In Greek mythology, Sirius was Orion’s dog, trailing behind the hunter in the sky.
The Romans put Sirius into the constellation Canis Major, meaning “greater dog.” They had the same view as the Greeks and referred to the scorching time of year as the days of the dog star.
Today, the term is mostly a name for the hottest part of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s roughly defined as the period from early July to mid-August and doesn’t precisely match the time of year when Sirius starts appearing in the morning sky anymore.
Sunrise and sunset times for your location