The Night Sky: Everything you can spot in the heavens in July

News

NASA’s $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope, (JWST), is poised to deliver some monumental images of our universe.

On Tuesday, July 12, at 2.30pm GMT, the world is set to see for the first time an array of images from the space telescope, one of which according to NASA’s administrator Bill Nelson is “the deepest image of our universe that has ever been taken”.

For further information on the JWST and to await the release of the images on this historic day, visit https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

The eagerly anticipated comet named C/2017 K2, (PanSTARRS), (or ‘K2’ for short), will make its closest approach to Earth on Thursday, July 14, at 168 million miles distant, (270 million kilometres). K2, which according to images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope has an 11-mile-wide diameter, hails from the Oort Cloud, a spherical cloud comprised of potentially trillions of icy objects right at the furthest gravitational reach of our Sun.

July’s ‘Supermoon’

Following June’s ‘Strawberry Supermoon’, Wednesday, July 13, will deliver not only another ‘supermoon’, but also the largest full moon of 2022.

Because the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is slightly elliptical in shape, there are occasions when not only is the Moon at its farthest point away from the Earth, but also at its closest (lunar perigee).

On the evening of July 13, the Full Moon occurs less than ten hours after lunar perigee, the smallest gap this year, making July’s Full Moon the best perigee Full Moon of 2022.

Following on from ‘strawberry’, July’s Full Moon is known as ‘Buck Moon’ to signify the new antlers that appear on deer buck’s foreheads at this time of year. Aside other names such as ‘raspberry’ and ‘thunder’ as used by native tribes in America, the Celts referred to the Full Moon as either ‘claiming’ or ‘herb’, with Anglo-Saxons calling it ‘hay’.

July’s Full Moon is closer to us than June’s Full Moon, making it appear around 10 per cent brighter. However, compared to the faintest possible full Moon, it will appear 30 per cent brighter.

‘Supermoons’ occur three to four times every year, with August seeing the last of 2022’s ‘supermoons’.

Meteor Shower

Late July sees the peak of the Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower, (SDA).

The shower starts around Tuesday, July 12, and runs until around Tuesday, August 23, with peak activity right at the end of July, spanning Thursday, July 28; Friday, July 29; and Saturday July 30.

Whilst the skies in summer do not tend to get overly dark, (given the shortness of night compared to the hours of daylight), some of the more fainter meteors may not be sighted as easily but this is no reason to be put off from watching the shower.

At the height of the shower, the zenith hourly rate, (ZHR – meteors expected per hour), is around 16, although higher rates into the 20’s are possible.

Meteor showers are generally associated with the debris and dust left in the wake of a passing comet, perhaps its entire break-up or may be even that of the remnants of an asteroid. However, with the SDA, the origin of the shower is somewhat unclear, accept for the fact that the shower radiant, (point of entry for the debris in the night sky), appears in the constellation of Aquarius, hence the name it has been given.

The consensus is that the debris is from a comet that orbits the Sun about once every five-years named 96/P Machholz.

Observing the Shower

After midnight and looking in a southerly direction, watch for the shower from around 2am onward, with the peak of activity around 3.30am, when you should see the most meteors. The debris will zip through the Earth’s atmosphere at 25 miles per second, (41 kilometres per second), burning up as a streak of light in the sky, (hence the name ‘shooting star’).

Remember, you do not require binoculars or a telescope, just a good view of the southern horizon, and the darkest location possible, safe, but away from any artificial lighting which may cause interference.

Please also ensure that if any minors want to see the shower, (as we are in the summer holidays), to make sure that they are accompanied by an adult and that their location is known at all times.

Noctilucent Cloud

In June’s edition of The Night Sky, I discussed noctilucent clouds, (NLC). As with last month, July will continue to offer a good time to spot the clouds, so they are still very much worth keeping a watchful eye out for if you haven’t seen them yet.

Around two hours after sunset and looking above the northwest horizon, watch for wispy threads of cloud with a fine strand-like appearance, and a distinct bluey tinge to them.

The season for NLC runs from late May to the early part of August, with July probably offering the best chance of seeing the clouds.

Formed by sunlight reflected upon high-altitude ice clouds, NLC make for an enchanting sight and a great target for photographers.

Given their potential size in the evening sky, why not try and capture them using a smartphone?

Planets

After the early morning planetary parade offered in June, the early hours before sunrise in July still offer the best of viewing for our planetary neighbours.

The innermost planet, Mercury, whilst always somewhat elusive, can be spotted above the northeast horizon around an hour or so before dawn at the very start of July.

As we head toward mid-month, that time significantly shortens, so the best viewing of Mercury will be during the opening fortnight of the month.

Venus is spectacular in the predawn sky as the ‘morning star’. Rising around 3am, Venus will be positioned in the east-northeast of the sky, providing around two hours or so to observe the planet before it is lost in the morning twilight.

On the morning of Tuesday, July 26, and Wednesday, July 27, a waning crescent Moon will be positioned close to Venus making for a wonderful pairing.

Long before Venus and Mercury rise, Saturn comes into view above the south-eastern horizon around 10.30pm. On the morning of Saturday, July 16, Saturn will rise accompanied by the Moon.

The next planet to after Saturn is Jupiter, on view from around midnight onwards, and noticeably brighter in appearance than Saturn. On the morning of Tuesday, July 19, look for a brilliant ‘star’ near to the Moon, this will be Jupiter.

After Saturn and Jupiter have risen, Mars appears, and in the predawn sky on Thursday, July 21, and Friday, July 22, the Moon will be positioned close to the planet.

Out and About

Society Meetings: A summer recess is underway for most societies with the recommencement of meetings expected in September.

Moon Phases

• First Quarter: July 7;
• Full Moon: July 13;
• Third Quarter: July 20;
• New Moon: July 28.

Sunrise/Sunset Times

• Start of July: Sun rises at 4.58am, sets at 9.32pm.
• End of July: Sun rises at 5.33am, sets at 9.02pm.

Jonathan Powell is a contributor to the BBC Sky at Night magazine, with articles also published in Astronomy Now. He has written three books on astronomy - Cosmic Debris; Rare Astronomical Sights and Sounds (which was selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2019); and From Cave Art to Hubble, all of which are available from Amazon. Jonathan worked at BBC Radio Wales as their astronomy correspondent and is currently astronomy and space correspondent for The National, (an online newspaper for Wales), and a columnist at the South Wales Argus, and also a contributor to CAPCOM, an online magazine which promotes astronomy and spaceflight to the general public. He has also presented on commercial radio at Sunshine FM in Worcester, Brunel FM in Swindon, and Bath FM, and has also presented on an astronomy and space dedicated radio station, Astro Radio UK. He is currently at 107.9 GTFM in South Wales. He has also written a book on castles, Fortress Wales, and was part of the writing team for the BBC Television show, The Fast Show, which won a BAFTA.