Highlights of the July Sky
鈥� July 1 – The waxing gibbous moon is in the constellation of Virgo. Spica, the brightest star in Virgo is just a few degrees to the south of the Moon while the bright planet Jupiter is a few degrees to the west. Together, the three celestial bodies form a lovely broad triangle upon the sky.
鈥� July 3 – The planet Earth is at the furthest point in its orbit from the Sun for the year (its 鈥渁phelion鈥�) at a distance of 94.5 million miles, 3 P.M. CDT.
鈥� July 6 – The Moon is at the furthest point in its orbit from the Earth this month (its 鈥渁pogee鈥�) at a distance of 252,236 miles, 11:28 P.M. CDT. Look for the waxing gibbous Moon just a few degrees above the planet Saturn.
鈥� July 9 – Full Moon officially occurs at 11:07 P.M. CDT.
鈥� July 13 – During the dawn hours look for Venus (our 鈥渕orning star鈥� all summer long) just above the star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus the Bull.
鈥� July 16 – The Moon is at last quarter phase at 2:26 P.M. CDT
鈥� July 20 – During the dawn hours look for a waning crescent moon and the planet Venus to make a picture perfect pairing in the eastern sky.
鈥� July 22 – Free public star party at Woolly Hollow State Park, 82 Woolly Hollow Road, Greenbrier, AR with the members of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, 9PM-11PM. Star parties are where astronomers bring out their telescopes and invite the public to come look through them as they tour the objects in the current night sky. Family friendly.
鈥� July 23 – The Moon is at last quarter phase at 2:26 P.M. CDT
鈥� July 27 – The Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower reaches its peak. From a dark sky location, you may see up to 10 to 20 meteors per hour during the pre-dawn hours. Some of the meteors that you see will leave what it is known as 鈥減ersistent meteor trains鈥�, trails of glowing, ionized gas created as the meteoroid slams into our atmosphere.