The two brightest stars at dusk in July shine at zero-magnitude with contrasting colors: Yellow-orange Arcturus is high in the southwest, with blue-white Vega high in east-northeast.
Next in brilliance in this month’s early evening sky is Mercury, at magnitude +0.4 on July 1, but it’s only a few degrees up in the west-northwest in the glow of twilight, sinking lower nightly, and fading. Use binoculars, and look in first 10 days. Other bright stars are Altair and Deneb, completing the Summer Triangle with Vega; Antares, red supergiant heart of the Scorpion, in the south-southeast; Spica, the spike of grain in Virgo’s hand, below Arcturus; and Regulus, heart of Leo, in the west. Mars has faded to magnitude +1.6, but you can still spot it with the unaided eye 8° to the upper left of Regulus on July 1, and then moving 0.6° per day eastward daily against the background, farther from Regulus.
In the evening sky, look for Spica near the moon on July 2 and 3, and Antares near the moon on July 6 and 7. The moon will be full on July 10. The waxing crescent moon returns to the western sky on July 25, and appears near Mars on the 28th, and Spica on the 30th.
July’s predawn sky offers some rare events, providing another reason to get outdoors to enjoy the relatively cool mornings. Venus, at magnitude -4, is the brilliant morning “star” in the east. It moves 1.1° per day against background stars, often passing close enough to several stars in Taurus, the Bull, to help you notice the daily change. Watch Venus pass within 7° to the south of the Pleiades star cluster from July 3-6. In predawn darkness on July 4, the sixth-magnitude planet Uranus is visible in binoculars 2.4° to the upper left of Venus, and about 4° to the lower right of the Pleiades. Uranus advances very slowly, only about 4° per year, so once located against the stars, it can be followed even after Venus moves on.
Venus progresses through Taurus, closely engaging stars of the V-shaped head of the Bull formed by the Hyades cluster and Aldebaran from July 9-13. On July 12, Venus appears very close to the third-magnitude star Epsilon at the end of the northern arm of the “V.” The next morning, Venus passes 3.2° to the north of Aldebaran, eye of the Bull and end of the V’s southern arm.
Also before morning twilight begins, find first-magnitude Saturn well up in the southeast to south. A telescope reveals its rings, tipped only 3.6° from edge-on in the first half of July. They’ll close to 0.4° from edge-on in the evening sky in November, as Earth almost catches up to Saturn for an edge-on view. The general trend, as Saturn advances in its orbit, works toward a maximum opening of the rings to 27° from edge-on in 2032. In the same telescopic field as Saturn this month, just 1° away, is the eighth-magnitude planet Neptune. Saturn doesn’t quite catch up to Neptune in July, and will retrograde to 4.4° from Neptune in the evening sky in late November, before returning to finally pass 0.8° south of Neptune in February 2026. Finding Neptune so close to Saturn as it is this month and next February is a very rare occurrence, happening at intervals of about 36 years—but the next occasions, in 2061 and 2096, will be hidden on the far side of the sun. The next chance to see Saturn and Neptune closely paired will be three times, in a triple conjunction, in the year 2132.
Follow the waning moon in the morning sky for two weeks, July 10-23. On July 16, the gibbous moon engages closely with Saturn and faint Neptune. In the early morning hours of July 20, the waning crescent moon (23%) engages even more intimately with the Pleiades cluster, covering and uncovering some of its stars. Stars disappear on the bright sunlit edge of the moon, and are more difficult to observe. Here are times when stars reappear at the dimly illuminated earth-lit edge of the moon. (A telescope is recommended to view the emergences, but binoculars will show cluster members near the moon.) Times as seen from Reno: 2:18 a.m.; 2:49 a.m.; 3:19 a.m. (the brightest member of the Pleiades); 3:42 a.m.; and 3:52 a.m.
In morning twilight on July 21, find Venus 7° to the lower right of the 14% crescent moon. Note Jupiter 19° to the lower left of Venus. On July 22, Jupiter will appear 10° below the 7% crescent. Finally, on July 23, find the last 2% old moon, 6° to the lower left of Jupiter. On following mornings, with the moon no longer in view, watch the gap between Venus and Jupiter close, to 15° on July 27, and 11° on July 31. A close and very beautiful pairing of the two brightest planets will occur on Aug. 12.
July is excellent for Milky Way viewing, since a major portion of it is up all night. Look on nights when skies are clear, and the moon isn’t bright. For 2025, the best dates in July at nightfall are July 14-26 (extended a few more nights if you wait until after moonset). In middle of night (around 1 a.m.), the best dates are July 1, 2, and July 21-Aug. 2. Before dawn’s first light: July 1-7, and July 27-Aug. 6.
Here are a few events to watch in July.
July 8: Find the moon 13° farther east than last night. From Reno, Antares passes south at 10:21 p.m. tonight, preceding by 1 hour, 23 minutes this month’s southernmost moon, highest at 11:44 p.m., 21° up, nearly 3° lower than Antares’ crossing, and nearly 6° lower than the Dec. 21 winter solstice midday sun.
July 9, at dusk: Take a tour of the brightest stars, including the Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb in the east; Antares in the south; and Arcturus and Spica in the southwest. In the west, find two fainter objects—Regulus and Mars 13° to its upper left. Tonight from Reno, the nearly full moon rises about 16 minutes before sunset. By an hour after sunset, the moon will climb 9° up in the southeast. The moon appears among the stars of Sagittarius tonight, but the lunar glare will make its stars hard to see. Antares passes due south, 24° up, at 10:17 p.m. tonight, as seen from Reno, and four minutes earlier each night thereafter. The moon will reach its highest position in the south at 12:39 a.m. tonight, while 22° up.
July 10 before dawn: Saturn’s rings are now 3.6° from edge-on; Neptune is 1° away, in the same low-power telescope field. Uranus is visible through binoculars 4° from Pleiades. Brilliant Venus, Aldebaran and Hyades are all in one binocular field for next few mornings! The Summer Triangle is high in the west, with Capella in the northeast, and Fomalhaut, mouth of Southern Fish, low in the south.
July 11: A lineup of zodiac markers awaits this evening, from west to east: Regulus setting, with Mars 14° to its upper left, both in Leo; Spica in Virgo; third-magnitude Zubenelgenubi, former “southern claw” of an early version of the Scorpion, in Libra; Antares, south at 9:56 p.m., in Scorpius; another third-magnitude star, Kaus Borealis, northern star of Archer’s bow, and top star of the Teapot, in Sagittarius; and a rising moon in Capricornus on July 11 and 12.
July 12, 1 1/2 hours before sunrise: The moon is in Capricornus. Saturn’s rings are 3.6° from edge-on, visible through a telescope, with faint Neptune within 1°. Pleiades is with Uranus within 3.3° south of that cluster’s brightest star, visible through binoculars. Brilliant Venus, 3.5° from Aldebaran, is with Hyades, all in one binocular field! The Summer Triangle is high in the west, with Capella in the northeast, and Fomalhaut, mouth of Southern Fish, low in the south.
July 12 in the evening: With the moon rising around the end of evening twilight, this week’s darkest evening is still brightly moonlit, so the Milky Way will appear only as isolated patches, with best ones inside the Summer Triangle and above the Teapot’s spout. The brightest star inside the huge quadrilateral of Arcturus-Vega-Altair-Antares is second-magnitude Rasalhague, marking the head of the healer-physician Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer.
July 13, 1 1/2 hours before sunrise: Arise early this morning to see Venus pass closest to Aldebaran, just 3.2° to the star’s north (upper left). About half an hour later, watch for Jupiter emerging in the east-northeast, 28° to the lower left of Venus. Note, in order from right to left, four solar system bodies visible to the unaided eye: the moon, Saturn, Venus and Jupiter. Use an optical aid before dawn brightens to add Uranus, 4° south of Pleiades, and Neptune, 1° north-northeast of Saturn. Don’t miss the spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, 0.9° apart, on Aug. 12.
Last ten days of July: Watch for Orion’s two bright stars low in the eastern sky as dawn begins to brighten: reddish Betelgeuse on the left, and bluish Rigel on the right, with a vertical line of three second-magnitude stars midway between, marking the belt of Orion. Orion reappears in the eastern sky long before the chilly season arrives, for those who get up early in late July.
Mornings of July 29-31: Venus, now just moved out of Taurus into Orion, passes just north of two stars in the top of the Hunter’s club.
The night of July 29-30: It’s the peak of the South Delta Aquariid meteor shower.
Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still helps produce an occasional issue. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the beauty of the night sky and other wonders of nature. Robert Miller, who provided the evening and morning twilight charts, did graduate work in planetarium science and later astronomy and computer science at Michigan State University, and remains active in research and public outreach in astronomy.