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July
At first the sun lies within the constellation of Gemini, until, on the 20th at 17h30, it crosses the border into Cancer. A significant date is the 4th, when at 04h00 the earth is at aphelion, the furthest distance that our planet can be from the sun, 152,097,044 km from the UK. As in June, twilight persist all night.
The Moon
Moon is at perigee, its nearest point to the earth, on the 21st at 20h00. It is at apogee, its furthest from the earth, on the 7th at 22h00
Full Moon is on July 7th just before 09h30, low in the constellation of Sagittarius. At this time, a weak penumbral eclipse takes place; this unremarkable event is not visible from here. Last Quarter is on the 15th, just before 10h00 in eastern Pisces. New Moon on the 22nd occurs on the Gemini Cancer border, creating a total solar eclipse visible from parts of India and China and the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately no part of this eclipse is visible from the UK. First Quarter moon, in eastern Virgo, takes place on the 28th in the late evening.
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The Planets
Although it may be possible to glimpse Mercury low in the NE at around 03h during the first few days of the month, the planet soon disappears into the sun's glare and is at superior conjunction at 02h on the 14th. Thereafter it reappears at an evening 'star' but its low altitude combined with its setting time, less than an hour after the sun, prevents it from being seen.
Venus rises two hours before the sun at the beginning of the month and three hours by the end. The planet dominates the early morning sky rising around 01h throughout July. Telescopically it exhibits a bright gibbous phase and is currently moving eastwards through Taurus, passing beneath the Pleiades around the 7th and is 3 north of Aldebaran on the 13th and 14th. Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus, forming the red 'eye' of the bull. On the 19th, the waning crescent moon lies 5 north of 'The Morning Star' and forms a pretty sight before dawn.
The period of observational availability of Mars steadily increases through July. The planet rises 2 hours before the sun as the month commences and 4 hours before the sun at the end of the month, rising at 0h (astronomical midnight) during the last few days. As with Venus, Mars is travelling eastwards in Taurus for most of the month but spending the first few days in Aries. Mars continues to increase in brightness and by the end of the month has the same magnitude (brightness) as Spica in the constellation of Virgo. On the 10th, Mars lies 5 south of the Pleiades cluster (the Seven Sisters) and on the 26th, the red planet is 5 north of Aldebaran. Mars is fractionally dimmer than Aldebaran, but it is interesting to compare their colours. During the morning of the 18th, the waning crescent moon may be seen approaching Mars after occulting some of the Pleiades stars at around 01h30 and by the start of civil twilight, just before 04h, Mars lies just over 5 below the moon.
Jupiter is moving westwards in eastern Capricornus and once again passes about a moon width beneath Neptune during the early hours of the 10th. As with the earlier conjunction of the two planets, you will need a decent telescope to observe this remote planet Neptune, but the giant planet Jupiter will assist in its identification. The gibbous waning moon will lie some 9 to the west at the time. On the morning of the 11th the moon and Jupiter will be seen rising at around 22h, their angular separation being just less than 3 with Jupiter to the lower right of the moon. By the end of July, Jupiter rises three quarters of an hour after the sun sets as it approaches opposition next month.
Saturn sets less than three hours after the sun as July begins but just over two hours after it at the end of the month. The rings are also beginning to close as earth begins its passage through the ring plane a couple of months from now. The planet spends July moving slowly eastwards in the eastern part of Leo, 11 to the SW of Leo's second brightest star Denebola, the lion's tail. The waxing crescent moon lies 9 to the lower left of Saturn in the twilight of the 25th. You will see them in the west around 20h15.
Uranus and Neptune are now becoming more easily visible in telescopes as the month draws on and nightly twilight decreases. Uranus is in Pisces, just to the north of its boundary with Aquarius, to the lower left of the circlet of stars outlining the 'western fish'.
Neptune on the other hand, is just over 3 to the NNE of the third magnitude star Deneb Algiedi (Delta Capricorni), which marks the tail of the sea goat. However, it lies less than a degree north of the much brighter planet Jupiter with which it is conjunction on the 10th.
Two minor meteor showers take place at the end of the month. They are the Capricornids, which are active from the 10th of July to the 5th of August, peaking around the 30th.
On the 28th, we have the maximum of the Delta Aquarids, with up to 20 an hour, although the shower is active from the 15th July to the 19th of August.
Constellations visible in the south around midnight, mid-month, are as follows: Sagittarius, Sagitta, Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus. The latter constellations contain Patrick Moore's 'Summer Triangle', consisting of the three bright stars, Altair in Aquila, Vega in Lyra, and Deneb in Cygnus. Cygnus is sometimes called the 'northern cross' because of the cruciform shape of its five main stars.
All times are GMT 1 is one finger width at arm's length.
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Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -0 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
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Cloudy
Temperature: -4 C to 3 C
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