Here you will find useful observing information about the visible planets,
our Moon and other moons, the Sun, as well as various 'things' celestial.
Among these web pages you will find monthly star maps for either the northern or southern hemisphere that are suitable for printout.
Animated images are utilized to illustrate celestial motions such as orbital motions of the planets, and other solar orbiting objects,
or apparent and real motions along the ecliptic and the local horizon. Regular features include plotting the monthly positions of the
visible planets using heliocentric coordinates; following moon phases; conjunctions; the sun's apparent motion and the Earth's real
motion along the ecliptic.
Scroll down for more web site information, resources, and a link to the previous month issue.
Mercury continues moving eastward away from the setting Sun and moving toward its greatest eastern elongation on the 12th. Viewing Mercury is best from the southern hemisphere as it is rather low over the western horizon as seen from north of the equator.
Click on this link to read the Previous Issue of Qué tal? in the Current Skies
July Sky Calendar | ||||
01. Waning Gibbous Moon Near Mars
04. Mercury Near Beehive Star Cluster 06. Last Quarter Moon Earth at Aphelion: 1.01670 AU (94,508,169 miles; 152,096,155 km) 09. Venus Very Near Regulus 10. Waning Crescent Moon Very Near Aldebaran 12. Mercury at Greatest East Elongation 13. New Moon Partial Solar Eclipse Moon at Perigee: 357,432 km |
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14. Moon at Ascending Node Waxing Crescent Moon Near Mercury 15. Waxing Crescent Moon Near Venus 19. First Quarter Moon 20. Mercury at Aphelion Waxing Gibbous Moon Near Jupiter 21. The Sun does actually enter the Astronomical sign of Cancer the Crab 22. The Sun does not actually enter the astrological sign of Leo the Lion 24. Waxing Gibbous Moon near Saturn |
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25. Waxing Gibbous Moon Near Dwarf Planet Pluto 27. Full Moon Moon Near Mars Moon at Descending Node Total Lunar Eclipse Moon at Apogee: 406,223 km Mars at Opposition 30. Waning Gibbous Moon Near Neptune 31. Mars Closest to Earth 0.385 AU (35,787,986 miles;57,595,180 km) |
Name | July 05 | July 15 | July 25 | |
Mercury | 213o 16' | 242o 38' | 270o 13' | |
Venus | 212o 39' | 228o 40' | 244o 37' | |
Earth | 282o 57' | 292o 29' | 302o 02' | |
Mars | 290o 34' | 296o 38' | 302o 47' | |
Ceres | 171o 30' | 174o 10' | 176o 40' | |
Jupiter | 232o 44' | 233o 31' | 234o 17' | |
Saturn | 276o 04' | 276o 22' | 276o 40' | |
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