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 3 July. The date of aphelion can range from 2 July to 6 July.

Mercury Gemini → Cancer → Leo

Southern observers see this tiny planet appear ever higher in the west after sunset. From northern latitudes it appears to rise until mid-month and then sink back towards the Sun.

Venus Taurus → Orion

Although the morning star is beginning its slow descent towards the eastern horizon as seen from the southern hemisphere, it is still climbing higher into the dawn sky for viewers in northern latitudes.

Mars Gemini → Cancer

Mars is at conjunction with the Sun on 27 July and is not visible this month.

Jupiter Virgo

The largest planet in the solar system is at east quadrature on 6 July. With the shadows of Jupiter and its Galilean moons cast slightly to one side, this is an excellent opportunity to observe this solar-system-in-miniature.

Saturn Ophiuchus

Now past opposition, the ringed planet is an evening sky object. It is best seen from southern latitudes.

Uranus Pisces

Rising about midnight at the beginning of the month, Uranus reaches west quadrature on 21 July.

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 in early September. The Moon occults Neptune on 13 July but only from vantage points in the Antarctic.

134340 Pluto Sagittarius

A medium-sized telescope and a detailed star chart is necessary to see this magnitude 14 dwarf planet at opposition on 10 July. It is located west of the star π Sgr and is much, much fainter.