New Moon, Planets and Earth Farthest from Sun: This Week’s Night Sky

Every Monday I pick the celestial highlights for North America for the coming week (which also apply to the mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Be sure to check View my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.

The Night Sky This Week: July 1-7, 2024

The first week of July isn’t exactly the best week of the year for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, with extremely long nights to make sure of that. This week is about as good as it gets, though, with a new moon midway through the week, bringing the darkest skies after sunset in July. Early risers will see a waning crescent and some of the best views of the winter sky as our planet reaches a major milestone in its annual journey around the sun.

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

Monday July 1: Waxing Moon and Mars

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

Tuesday July 2: Waxing Moon and the Pleiades

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

Wednesday July 3: Waxing Moon and Jupiter

The waning crescent Moon will have shrunk to just 8% illumination by now, giving it a slender appearance that’s hard to beat – if you can find it. Look low towards the east-northeast horizon and you’ll find our slender-looking satellite, nestled close to bright Jupiter. Capella, the Pleiades and Mars provide the backdrop above the pair.

Friday, July 5: Earth at Aphelion and a New ‘Buck Moon’

Earth orbits the sun in a slightly elliptical path, causing the distance between the two 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) away, according to timeanddate.com.

Today we also see the new “Buck Moon,” which brings dark, moonless skies and, starting Sunday, the rise in the twilight of a slender crescent. The New Moon phase places our natural satellite roughly between Earth and the Sun, so it is completely invisible to us—the exception is when it causes a solar eclipse, as in April (a total eclipse) and in October (an annular eclipse, which is visible only from the Pacific Ocean and South America).

Saturday July 6: Young Moon

The sky-watching week ends with a pair of moon-planet conjunctions after sunset. Look west-northwest after the sun has set and you’ll have a chance of seeing a 1.3% illuminated waxing crescent moon, emerging from the sun’s glare. Just below the moon will be bright Venus, although it will be very difficult to see.

Sunday July 7: Waxing Moon and Mercury

Tonight you have a chance to see a 5% illuminated waxing crescent Moon just above Mercury, which you may need binoculars for. Venus is just to the lower right of the northwest, but you’ll have a hard time spotting it here too.

Binocular Target of the Week: Lagoon Nebula (M8)

Nothing compares to the view of the Orion Nebula (M42) in winter, but the closest we’ll get is the Lagoon Nebula (M8). This bright emission nebula in the constellation Sagittarius covers an area of ​​the night sky about three times the size of the Moon and is visible over the south. It’s just to the right of the lid tip of the famous “Teapot” asterism. You’ll need binoculars.

The Lagoon Nebula is located about 5,200 light-years from the solar system and, like M42, is the place where stars are born. The light you see is the ultraviolet radiation from the young stars, ionizing the 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 location-specific information, consult online planetariums such as SkySafari Pro, Stellarium And The air is alive. Account planet rising/planet setting, Sunrise SunsetAnd moonrise/moonset turn to see where you are.

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I wish you clear skies and big eyes.