After torrential rains on the first couple of days of June, we went straight to the HOT and HUMID oven of Oklahoma summers, and while we had mostly clear evening skies, the high humidity did result in less than optimal viewing conditions. Humidity in the atmosphere has the effect of lowering contrast because it refracts/ reflects any sources of light pollution, thereby multiplying the “light dome” of any nearby city/town. The meteor shower that occurred earlier in the month didn’t produce near the rate that was hoped for. In fact, we saw more satellites go over than meteors. July has a number of opportunities to view some pretty amazing events, including planetary alignments, a comet, and a meteor shower.
Highlights: On the 1st, Venus will pass to the north of the giant star Aldebaran (Alpha Tauri). The Earth reaches aphelion (94.5M miles from the sun) on the 4th. The Moon is at 1st quarter on the 6th, and it reaches perigee (221,993 mi) and Full Moon on the 13th. On the 15th, the Moon passes to the south of Saturn. Mercury will be at superior conjunction on the 16th. On the 17th, the moon passes to the south of Neptune and then to the south of Jupiter on the 18th. Pluto is in opposition on the 19th, and the Moon is at 3rd quarter on the 20th. The Moon passes to the north of Mars on the 21st, to the north of Uranus on the 22nd, and it reaches apogee (252,447 mi) as it passes to the north of Venus on the 26th. New Moon is on the 28th. The Southern Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower will peak at around 3 am on the morning of the 30th at a predicted rate of 25/ hr, and since it is just a couple of days past New Moon, that won’t be a factor in viewing.
Comets: Comet c/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is still in Ophiuchus moving toward the Southwest and will be passing several small Globular Star Clusters starting with M14 in the first few days of the month, then within 1 degree west of M10 (and to the east of M12) on the 13th thru the 15th and will pass to the west of M107 at the end of the month.
Planetary Report: The Sun is in moving from Gemini into Cancer. Mercury moves from Taurus, thru Gemini, and into Cancer. Venus is moving from Taurus into Gemini. Mars is between Pisces and Taurus. Jupiter is in Pisces, and Saturn is in Capricorn. Uranus is between Pisces and Taurus. Neptune is in Pisces, and Pluto is between Sagittarius and Capricorn. The Dwarf Planet Ceres is moving from Gemini into Cancer.
Meteors: The Southern Delta Aquarids will peak at ~3 am on the 30th at a projected rate of 25/hr.
Planet Visibility:
Morning hours: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mid-night hours: Pluto.
Dark Sky Viewing for July starts on the 17th and continues thru July 31st. Odyssey Astronomy Club viewing sessions are scheduled for July 2nd, 18th, and 25th.
For information about Ten Acre Observatory, the Odyssey Astronomy Club, or to schedule an appointment to come out for a visit, contact us at 405-899-4016, message us on Facebook or email us at: orion2c@yahoo.com. A visit to the observatory and the use of our equipment and facilities is always FREE. Visit, Like, and Follow us on Facebook.
