What’s Up in the Night Sky? – July 2024

Fred Barrett | Jul 03, 2024

Summertime and there’s glory in the sky! But, nights are short and you have to wait up late to start exploring the sky. For those of you who are willing to sacrifice some sleep time you will find our Milky Way a feast for the eyes as it arches high overhead from the southern to the northern horizon.

Let’s start our journey of adventure from the south. The ‘Teapot’ is an asterism or pattern in a constellation that resembles an everyday object. An example would be the Big Dipper which is in the constellation Ursa Major. The Teapot is a pretty accurate description of how the constellation Sagittarius appears on the southern horizon. Its spout points to the area that marks the centre of our galaxy.

Heading north or up towards the zenith, we quickly come upon the constellation Aquila, the Eagle, with its bright star Altair in its upper left. Moving upwards to the zenith, we find the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. It’s also referred to as the Northern Cross. The outstretched arms are like wings and its tail is marked by the prominent star Deneb. To the west of Cygnus is the smaller constellation Lyra, the Harp. Its shape resembles that of an ancient Greek musical instrument known as a Lyre that is similar to a guitar. It is also called the Weaver since its form, to other civilizations looked to them like a common device used to spin wool. The star Vega is hard to miss at its top. Vega is the 5th brightest star in the sky so there’s no excuse for not finding it.

The 3 stars Altair, Deneb and Vega are known as the Summer Triangle. They offer a handy way to orient yourself in the summer sky.

To the west of Lyra is Hercules just outside of the stream of the Milky Way with its great globular cluster of stars named the Hercules cluster or Messier 13.

As we slide down to the northern horizon from the zenith, we encounter Cepheus which resembles a square house with a steep roof. Next, nearby, is Cassiopeia. It looks like a W. Its pointy ends indicate the direction to the constellation Andromeda where we can find the galaxy Andromeda which is the nearest galaxy to our Milky Way. We will splash together in about 4.5 billion years. Eventually, in 6 or so billion years, they will merge into one big galaxy resembling an elliptical galaxy.

Last stop is Perseus near the northern horizon. It is shaped like a distorted V pointing away from the horizon line. Near the tip of the V is the wonderful binocular sight called the Double Cluster. You can even make it out on a good clear night by eyes alone.

Don’t forget the Moon on those nights when its brightness washes out views of deep space objects. You can see a lot of detail without having to resort to optical aids. Of course, with binoculars or a modest telescope more detail pops out: craters, mountains, valleys, plains. When is the best time to observe the Moon? If you think it's around full moon you are wrong! In fact, this is the worst time. Sunlight is falling on the moon's surface from straight overhead when it is full and it looks like a white plate with little detail. It also blinds your eyes unless you decrease the light entering your telescope/binoculars by using a piece of cardboard with a small hole in the centre to let less light in. The best time to observe the Moon is when it is at one of its 2 quarters. The sunlight is coming in at an angle from the left or right at this time. A few days either side of the quarter Moon is just as good. Pay special attention to the terminator, the boundary between light and dark. Shadows from surface features are at their maximum. If you watch long enough, you can actually see the shadows change in size.

Venus and Mercury can be found in the evening sky in the first days of July just after sunset. Mercury is above and to the left of Venus. Be quick. They both set quickly.

Saturn rises around midnight in early July and is easy to spot. The rings aren’t tilted much but will become be inclined more as the summer progresses. The planet brightens somewhat as the month progresses.

The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks on July 25 and runs from July 11 to August 23. The radiant in Aquarius will be about 30 degrees up around 3 am and the Moon is a waning crescent. Watch for early Perseids appearing around the peak night for the Aquariids. Up to 25 meteors per hour can be expected with a few Perseids mixed in. The Perseids will be moving across the sky from the direct of Perseus.

Jupiter comes up around 3 am at the start of July 1 and can be found north of the Hyades cluster in Taurus. Mars rises about 2 am to pair with a waning crescent Moon. Watch for Jupiter, Mars and the Moon gathering close together in Taurus at month’s end. Red Mars will provide Taurus, the Bull, with an extra eye!

An opportunity to find and observe Uranus occurs on July 12 when Mars is just 2 degrees below Uranus on the west side of Taurus. Follow through to the 15th when they are just 0.6 degrees apart. Binoculars or better are mandatory to make out the blue green disk of Uranus. Start observing about 2:30 am and consider this a challenge.

Highlights this month:

July 3:: Moon passes 5 degrees north of Jupiter at 4 am EDT. July 5: The Earth is at aphelion or its greatest distance from the Sun – 151.2 million Km. Yes, that’s right – the Earth is farthest from the Sun during the summer! New Moon. July 12: Moon is at apogee – 402,014 Kms. July 13: Jupiter passes 5 degrees north of Aldebaran at 3 am EDT. First quarter Moon. Moon passes 0.9 degrees north of Spica. Remember the saying – Around the arc (of the big Dipper) to Arcturus, speed on to Spica (in Bootes); a real help finding stuff in the sky. July 15: Mars passes0.6 degrees south of Uranus. July 21: Full Moon. This one is named for the growing antlers of the male deer. They’re getting ready to rumble. Also called Full Berry Moon – Yum. July 24: Moon is at perigee – 362,798 Kms. July 27: Last Quarter Moon. July 30: Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks.

Have a great observing month and keep looking up!

Don’t forget to check out events at the North Frontenac Astronomy Park and also check the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area for observing opportunities in the coming months.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) website https://rasc.ca has a listing of astronomy events for Ontario and the Kingston branch of the RASC website lists events happening, especially in our area.

Feel free to contact me with questions or observations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I would like to know how you have done with your observing. Meteors or auroras anyone?