SkyEye: July 2024

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events!

All times and dates are in UT with the time given to the nearest 30 minutes.
Planetary positions are geocentric apparent places, referred to the true equator and equinox of date.

The phases of the in July 2024

Day	Events
1	The Moon and Mars are 4.1° apart at 19:30.
2	The waning crescent Moon passes 4.0° north of Uranus at 11:00. Several hours later, our satellite occults the open star cluster M45 (Pleiades). Neptune enters into retrograde motion relative to ecliptic longitude today.
3	Neptune reaches a stationary point in right ascension and goes into retrograde. At 09:30, the Moon makes a distant pass by Jupiter.
4
5	Earth reaches aphelion today, some 18 hours before NEW MOON.
6	Dwarf planet 1 Ceres is at opposition today but a telescope will be necessary to see this seventh-magnitude object. At 16:00, the new crescent Moon is 3.9° north of Venus. Ninety minutes later, our satellite passes 1.7° south of the first-magnitude star β Gem (Pollux). At 21:00, Mercury is found a scant 0.1° south of the open star cluster M44 (Beehive).
7	The Moon is 3.0° north of the open star cluster M44 (Beehive) at 16:00. Later, at 19:30, the Moon makes an even more distant pass by Mercury.
8	Bright Jupiter is nearly 5.0° north of the first-magnitude star α Tau (Aldebaran) at 08:00.
9	At 11:30, the Moon is 3.1° north of the first-magnitude star α Leo (Regulus).
10
11
12	The Moon first reaches apogee and then passes through its descending node.
13	FIRST QUARTER MOON
14	The waxing gibbous Moon occults the first-magnitude star α Vir (Spica) at 02:00.
15	Mars approaches Uranus to within half a degree at 15:00.
16
17	At 19:30, The waxing gibbous Moon occults the first-magnitude star α Sco (Antares).
18
19
20	Mars passes 4.7° south of the open star cluster M45 (Pleiades) at 19:30.
21	FULL MOON
22	Mercury reaches greatest elongation east (26.9°).
23	Dwarf planet 134340 Pluto is at opposition.
24	The Moon reaches perigee on the same day that it occults Saturn. The occultation event begins around 21:00.
25	At 01:30, the Mercury is 1.7° south of the first-magnitude star α Leo (Regulus). The waning gibbous Moon occults Neptune beginning 12:30.
26	The Moon passes through its ascending node.
27
28	LAST QUARTER MOON
29	The Moon passes 4.2° north of Uranus at 18:30. Then, at 21:00, the waning crescent Moon occults the open star cluster M45 (Pleiades).
30	The Moon is found 5.0° north of Mars at 11:30.
31	The Southern δ Aquariid meteor shower peaks today. The waning crescent Moon moves past Jupiter at distance of 5.4° at 01:00.

The position of the Sun and planets at mid-July 2024

Sun Gemini → Cancer

Mercury Gemini → Cancer → Leo Mercury embarks on the best evening apparition of the year for observers in the southern hemisphere. It begins the month at magnitude −0.6 and ends at first magnitude. It rises higher above the western horizon until around the time of greatest elongation east (at 26.9°, the largest of the year) before heading back toward the Sun. It appears close to the Beehive Cluster early in the month and makes a more distant pass by the bright star Regulus on 25 July.

Venus Gemini → Cancer → Leo The evening star is best seen from the southern hemisphere where it is starting to gain altitude in the west. For star gazers in northern temperate latitudes, Venus remains low to the horizon for the next few months.

Earth and Moon Earth is at aphelion at the beginning of the month and is treated to the Southern δ Aquariid meteor shower at the end when the waning crescent Moon should not create too much of a light nuisance. The Moon continues its busy schedule of occultations: Pleiades (2 and 29), Spica (14), Antares (17), and Neptune and Saturn (24 and 25, respectively). The close pass of Pollux takes place too close to the Sun to be observable.

Mars Aries → Taurus First-magnitude Mars is still confined to the morning sky. It has a close encounter with Uranus on 15 July and then a more distant fly-past (1.9°) of the fourth-magnitude star 37 Tau at 10:00 on 26 July.

Jupiter Taurus Jupiter spends the month north of the Hyades, passing within 2° of a number of fourth-magnitude stars possessing Bayer designations: κ¹ Tau and κ² Tau on 2 July, ε Tau (Ain) the following day, υ Tau the day after that, and finally τ Tau on 22 July. The largest planet in the solar system, shining at magnitude −2.0, remains a morning sky object and is best viewed from the southern hemisphere.

Saturn Aquarius Saturn is brightening as it approaches opposition in September, beginning July at magnitude +1.1 and ending at +0.9. It rises before well before midnight and is occulted by the Moon on 24 July.

Uranus Taurus Uranus is a morning sky object, not rising until after midnight. It has a close encounter with Mars on 15 July when the two bodies come to within 0.5° in the sky. Optical aids will probably be necessary to spot sixth-magnitude Uranus unless skies are exceptionally dark.

Neptune Pisces A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system which enters into retrograde motion early in the month. Neptune is not far from Saturn in the sky and rises not long after the ringed planet. Look for Neptune being occulted by the waning gibbous Moon on 25 July.