The night sky this week

Every Monday I pick the main North American stars for the coming week (which also applies to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.

Night Sky This Week: 1-7 July 2024

The first week of July isn’t exactly the best of the year for sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere – the extremely long nights make it so. However, this week is as good as it gets, with the new moon in the middle of the week making it the darkest sky since sunset in July. Early birds will see the waning crescent moon and experience some of the most beautiful sights of the winter night sky as our planet reaches a major milestone on its annual journey around the sun.

Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:

Monday July 1: Crescent and Mars

If you can get up an hour before sunrise where you are, look east for a nice view of the 23% illuminated waning crescent moon four degrees above Mars. Closer to the horizon will be bright Jupiter, sandwiched between the beautiful open Pleiades star cluster (above) and Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus. Capella, the “goat star”, will be to the left over the northeast.

Tuesday, July 2: Crescent and Pleiades

Another early start gives you another beautiful view of the Pleiades with the waning crescent moon, now 14% illuminated, just a few degrees away. Mars is on the right, Jupiter and Aldebaran are below, and Capella is on the left.

Wednesday July 3: Crescent and Jupiter

By now, the waning crescent moon has dwindled to just 8% illumination, giving it a slender appearance that’s hard to beat—if you can find it. Look low on the east-northeast horizon and you’ll find our slender satellite close to bright Jupiter. Capella, the Pleiades and Mars will form the background above the pair.

Friday, July 5: Earth at Aphelion and the New “Buck Moon”

The Earth orbits the Sun in a slightly elliptical path, causing the distance between them to vary throughout the year. Today marks the farthest point in Earth’s orbit from the Sun, known as “Aphelion Day”. At its closest point, or perihelion, on Jan. 2, 2024, Earth was 91.4 million miles (147 million kilometers) from the sun, while today it is 94.5 million miles (152 million kilometers), according to timeanddate.com.

Today we also see a new “Buck Moon” ensuring a dark moonless sky, with a slim crescent moon emerging at dusk from Sunday. The New Moon phase puts our natural satellite roughly between the Earth and the Sun, making it completely invisible to us – except when it causes a solar eclipse, as it did in April (a total solar eclipse) and will again in October (an annular solar eclipse, this is observable only from the Pacific Ocean and South America).

Saturday July 6: New Moon

The week of sky watching ends with several conjunctions of the Moon and planets after sunset. When the sun sets, look west-northwest and you’ll have a chance to see the 1.3% illuminated waxing crescent moon emerging from the sun’s glow. Bright Venus will be just below the moon, although it will be very hard to see.

Sunday July 7: Crescent and Mercury

Tonight, you’ll have a chance to see the 5% illuminated crescent just above Mercury, which may require binoculars. Venus is in the lower right above the northwest, but again you’ll have trouble seeing it.

Binocular Target of the Week: Laguna Nebula (M8)

Nothing beats seeing the Orion Nebula (M42) in winter, but the Laguna Nebula (M8) comes closest. This bright emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius will be visible over the south, covering an area of ​​the night sky about three times the size of the Moon. It is just to the right of the tip of the lid of the famous “kettle” asterism. You will need binoculars.

The Laguna Nebula is about 5,200 light-years from the Solar System, and like M42, stars are born here. The light you see is ultraviolet radiation from its young stars ionizing dust and gas. This is what the Hubble Space Telescope sees.

The times and dates given are for mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate information about a specific location, consult online planetariums such as SkySafari Pro, Stellarium and The Sky Live. Cheque planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise sunsetand moon rise/set times to see where you are.

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I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.