SkyEye

The Calendar

The Solar System

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for 'wanderer'. Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars. Dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies, including comets, are not so constrained, often moving far above or below the ecliptic.

Sun Gemini → Cancer

Earth reaches its farthest point from the Sun on 4 July. The date of aphelion can range from 2 July to 6 July. The equation of time reaches a shallow minimum of nearly seven minutes on 26 July.

Mercury Taurus → Orion → Gemini → Cancer

Mercury reappears in the morning sky this month, reaching greatest elongation west on 12 July. It is highest above the eastern horizon around this time.

Venus Taurus → Orion → Gemini

The morning star is beginning to descend towards the northeast horizon. Northern hemisphere observers have just the better view of this bright object.

Mars Virgo

The red planet has a busy month. It is occulted by the Moon on 6 July and reaches east quadrature on 19 July. Look for it in the west during the early evening hours as it now sets before midnight.

Jupiter Gemini → Cancer

Jupiter is at conjunction this month and is too near to the Sun to be observable.

Saturn Libra

Two days after it occults Mars, the Moon moves past Saturn. An evening sky object, the ringed planet sets around midnight.

Uranus Pisces

Rising about midnight at the beginning of the month, Uranus reaches on 8 July. It continues to rise earlier every evening.

Neptune Aquarius

A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system. It rises in the evening and is up most of the night as it heads for opposition next month.

Pluto Sagittarius

A medium-sized telescope and a detailed star chart is necessary to see this magnitude 14 dwarf planet at opposition on 4 July.