Night Sky: Visible Planets, Moon Phases & Events, July 2013

The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, often the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers. Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a goodbeginner telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view. Below, find out what’s up in the night sky tonight 

Sky Events July 2013

Moon Phases

Monday, July 8, 3:14 a.m. EDT

New Moon

The Moon is not visible on the date of New Moon because it is too close to the Sun, but can be seen low in the east as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the west an evening or two after New Moon.

Monday, July 15, 11:18 p.m. EDT

First Quarter Moon

The First Quarter Moon rises around 1:15 p.m. and sets around 12:30 a.m. It dominates the evening sky.

Monday, July 22, 2:16 p.m. EDT

Full Moon

The Full Moon of July is usually called the Hay Moon or Buck Moon. In Cree it is called Opaskwuwipizun, meaning “Moon when ducks begin to molt.” The Full Moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the Moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the Moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky.

Monday, July 29, 1:43 p.m. EDT

Last Quarter Moon

The Last Quarter Moon rises around 11:45 p.m. and sets around 2 p.m. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky.

Observing Highlights

Monday, July 1, 9 p.m. EDT

Pluto at opposition

Dwarf planet Pluto will be directly opposite the Sun in our sky on July 1. It requires a large telescope to detect it against the rich backdrop of the center of our Galaxy. Note all the deep sky objects in close proximity to Pluto’s direction.

Wednesday, July 3, twilight

Venus in the Beehive

If you have a low western horizon and a very clear sky, you may be able to spot Venus against the backdrop of the Beehive Cluster, one of the closest open clusters which is number 44 in Charles Messier’s catalog.

Tuesday/Wednesday, July 16/17, 12:00 midnight EDT

Spica and the Moon

The first quarter Moon passes just north of the bright star Spica in Virgo. In the central Pacific Ocean, southern Central America, and northwestern South America, the Moon will pass in front of Spica, occulting its light.

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 16 and 17, morning twilight

Mars close to Messier 35

If you have a low eastern horizon and a very clear sky you may catch the planet Mars, recently emerged from behind the Sun, as it passes close to the open cluster Messier 35 in Gemini.

Sunday and Monday, July 21 and 22, dusk

Regulus and Venus

Venus will pass just north of the bright star Regulus in Leo.

Monday, July 22, dawn

Mars and Jupiter

The two planets Mars and Jupiter will be in a close conjunction less than a degree apart at the feet of the Gemini twins.

Tuesday, July 30, dawn

Mercury at greatest elongation west

Mercury joins Mars and Jupiter in the dawn sky, best viewed in binoculars about half an hour before local sunrise.

Planets

Mercury is between Earth and the Sun for most of the month, reappearing in the dawn sky around July 20. It is at greatest elongation westward from the Sun on July 30.

Venus is now an “evening star” setting just after the sun.

Mars emerges from behind the Sun in the morning sky, passing close to Messier 35 on July 16 and 17, and Jupiter on July 22. It will be many months before Mars will be close enough to reveal any detail in amateur telescopes.

Jupiter is the brightest object in the morning sky for most of the month. It spends the whole month in Gemini.

Saturn is high in the western sky at just after sunset, and sets around midnight.

Uranus is in Pisces, in the morning sky.

Neptune is in Aquarius all month, rising in late evening and visible the rest of the night.

Pluto is in opposition in Sagittarius on July 1.

 Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.SKYWATCHING TERMS

• Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It’s easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky.
• Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer’s scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude minus 4.9. The full moon is minus 12.7 and the sun is minus 26.8.
• Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.
• Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.

NIGHT SKY OBSERVING TIPS

• Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe faint objects, such as meteors or dim stars, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
• Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars and sometimes the brightest planets. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that represents our view toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you’re stuck in a city or suburban area, a building can be used to block ambient light (or moonlight) to help reveal fainter objects. If you’re in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.
• Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be out for more than a few minutes, and it’s not a warm summer evening, dress warmer than you think necessary. An hour of observing a winter meteor shower can chill you to the bone. A blanket or lounge chair will prove much more comfortable than standing or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.
• Daytime skywatching: When Venus is visible (that is, not in front of or behind the sun) it can often be spotted during the day. But you’ll need to know where to look. A sky map is helpful. When the sun has large sunspots, they can be seen without a telescope. However, it’s unsafe to look at the sun without protective eyewear. 

           Source: http://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html