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Mars dominates the southern sky throughout the month and will be joined by the Moon on July 27 just in time for the red planet to reach its closest distance from Earth since 2003.
With the shortest nights of the year, there are not too many hours to observe the stars, but they are filled with celestial events and seasonal stellar landmarks. all night in July and the famous summer triangle formed by the bright stars Deneb, Altair and Vega descend into the southeast sky while the iconic Big Dipper towers above the northwestern sky. Facing south around 22h on a clear night and the S-shaped constellation Scorpius extends from the horizon. Pinning the scorpion in the sky is his heart, represented by the bright orange Antares star. A red supergiant of a diameter about 830 times larger than our Sun, Antares shines 60,000 times brighter and is at a distance of 553 light-years
You do not know how to find Antares? On July 22, the Moon will be parked just above the bright star, which will make it a practical guide.
If you have binoculars or a telescope, it's worth scanning that part of the sky and even the polluted suburbs the area is full of bunches and clouds of stars. This is because Scorpius lies in the same direction as the core of the Milky Way, making it one of the best panoramic tours of the summer.
In planetary action, you will not want to miss Mars as it will be the largest. the brightest of our skies in 15 years. On July 27, the red planet will reach its closest approach to the Earth orbiting the Sun. Astronomers call this an opposition when the planet will be directly opposed to the sun in the sky of the Earth, so that Mars seems to rise in the east at sunset and lie to the west at sunrise. Sun. At 1 am, it appears high in the southern sky in the constellation Capricorn – the sea goat.
Mars makes a close passage through the Earth every two years, but the cosmic geometry places Mars at only 55 million kilometers from us. offering incredible views for sky watchers. He is almost as close as his best meeting in 2003 when he was closest to us in 60,000 years! It will only be 2 million miles away this time – nothing that an average meteorologist will notice.
To the naked eye, it will appear as a star of an unusually bright orange hue rising to the east as darkness falls. It is amazing to think that despite being so far we can still see its distinct color due to the glowing dust rich in iron oxide and sand that covers most of the surface. Normally, if you have a telescope, you can also see its white polar caps and its darker uplands and clearer deserts. But NASA recently confirmed that Mars was undergoing a global dust storm, so unless it dissipates in the coming weeks, it could mask some of the finer surface features.
Adding to the cosmic spectacle, the nights of July 26, 27, just in time for its best performance, the Red Planet will associate with the brilliant Moon. These two heavenly jewels will be eye-catching, sliding together across the night sky.
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