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This page shows a brief summary of what interesting things we can see in the sky this month.
A more detailed version of the 'What's Up' this month is available as a downloadable PDF document right at the bottom of this page.
July isn't the best month for stargazing, as the nights are still quite short. However, the celestial show must go on! After midnight, the
Moon, along with Jupiter and Saturn, make their grand appearance, lighting up the sky with their brilliance along with great clusters. In the
southern skies, the magnificent star cloud in Sagittarius offers a breath-taking view through binoculars, though it's regrettably obscured
by the bright lights of Walsall. Adding to the nocturnal spectacle, noctilucent clouds shimmer in the twilight, creating a rare and beautiful
sight. For a truly stellar experience, consider a trip to the South Coast, where the darker skies provide the perfect backdrop for an
astronomical adventure.
The Sun
The Sun is now at Solar Maximum - a period of strong solar activity that occurs around every 11 years. Due to this, we should see an increase in regularity, strength and spread of the Aurora Borealis.
Remember: to never look at the sun with a telescope, at worst you might blind yourself, at best you'll melt your telescope! If you are interested in Solar viewing, speak to our members, we have special equipment to help you! If you do not have a solar scope, you can watch using the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) or SDO.
The Moon
The phases of the Moon are as follows:
A bright evening object near the moon on the 7th.
Unseen in July due to close proximity to the Sun.
At magnitude 0.9 rising in Aries around 1:00am
At magnitude -2 in Aries, rising around 3am near Pleiades.
Visible in Aquarius, rising in the east around 1am on the 1st.
At magnitude 5.8 in Aries, moving into Taurus, not far from Jupiter.
Raises in Pisces around midnight.
Asteroids
Ceres is low in the south of Sagittarius.
Comets
13P/Olbers - closest approach to Earth: July 20, 2024 (mag 7.6)
Meteors
The August Perseids start in July towards the end of the month. The Delta Aquarids also peak around the 30th..
With Binoculars
Albireo is a beautiful blue and orange double star in the constellation of Cygnus (the Swan).
M5 is a globular cluster, visible in the constellation Serpens. M13 is also a globular cluster, visible in Hercules. The Coma Cluster is visible easily with the naked eye but is viewed best with binoculars in Coma Berenices.
M10 and M12 are two more globulars that are visible in Ophiuchus but may be difficult to view due to their lowness. M57, The Ring Nebula, is visible in Lyra between Gamma and Beta Lyrae.
Television
The next episode of the Sky at Night is on Monday 8th July on BBC Four - Webb Telescope: The Story So Far at 22:00. This month, The Sky at Night team mark the second anniversary of the release of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, finding out what it has told us so far.
Here are all the past episodes that are available to watch, in case you missed any: BBC4 The Sky At Night
Clear Skies !
The detailed version of What's Up this month is available below by clicking the link:
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