In July, several phenomena can be observed in the starry sky in Germany. On the one hand, the “Summer Triangle” will be on display. Second, there will be the brightest full moon.
Munich – If you look at the starry sky in July 2022, you can discover a lot: Jupiter, for example. Or, with a bit of luck, the Milky Way.
Night sky in July: Milky Way difficult to see from cities – but the chance is there
After dark, the evening starry sky is still without bright planets. As the night progresses, it will appear in the southeastern sky Saturn as the first planet. It gradually becomes the planet of the entire night. At the end of July it appears just after nine-thirty in the evening over the southeastern horizon. At midnight on the night of the 15th to the 16th the moon, which is still almost full, can be seen south of Saturn. Five hours later, it has moved significantly away from the ringed planet.
The summer light band of the Milky Way rises in the south between Scorpio and Sagittarius towards Eagle. From here the Milky Way goes through Swan and Cassiopeia and the celestial W, to the northern horizon, where the bright Capella in the carter can also be seen. However, the Milky Way can only be seen in really dark areas, not from our light-polluted cities and settlements. There are now many people who have never seen the natural phenomenon of the Milky Way in their lives. However, until July 11th, the chances of seeing them with your own eyes for about an hour after midnight are still relatively good, such as t-online.de writes.
July Celestial Events: The Stars of the Summer Triangle
Three fixed stars in the evening summer sky also form a conspicuous constellation. One speaks of summer triangle. In July it is high in the south around midnight. It’s sort of the opposite of the winter hexagon. The Summer Triangle consists of the stars Vega in the lyre, Deneb in the swan and Atair in the eagle. The figure of the swan with its wings outstretched is represented by a large starry cross, also known as the Northern Cross. The Summer Triangle can often be seen even with light pollution.
While Vega at 25 light-years and Atair at 16 light-years are still relatively close stars in the solar neighborhood, is Deneb with about 2500 light-years the most distant star of the first magnitude. The fact that Deneb is one of the brightest stars in the earth’s night sky is due to its enormous luminosity. This hot, bluish sun is 130,000 times brighter than our sun. If our Sun were as far away as Deneb, it would only be visible in very large telescopes.
On the western firmament are Arcturus in the constellation Bootes and spica in the constellation Virgo. They remind you of days gone by in spring. is deep in the south antares to see, the main star of the zodiac picture Scorpio. Antares marks the heart of Scorpio. Antares separates us 550 light years. Its distinctive red coloring is striking. It is a so-called red supergiant star. Antares is 15 times more massive than our sun.
Celestial events in July: Jupiter shines as the brightest planet
In the planetary dance of the night follows Jupiter the Saturn. The giant planet shifts its rises to before midnight. At the end of July, Jupiter appears just above the eastern horizon shortly after 11 p.m. It is by far the brightest planet and shines conspicuously until Venus surpasses him in splendor after rising in the morning sky.
Also Mars is present in the second half of the night. The reddish planet moves through the constellation Pisces and enters Aries on the 8th. The waning crescent visits Mars on the night of July 21-22. At 2 a.m., Mars is visible eight full moon latitudes south of the moon. Mars will become significantly brighter in the course of July, as Earth is catching up and is getting closer and closer to our outer neighbor planet. Venus holds her position in the morning sky. They rise at about 3.30 a.m. at the beginning of the month and twenty minutes later at the end of July.
Sky events in July: Biggest full moon of the year
On July 13, the full moon phase reached. On the same day, shortly after 11 a.m., the moon will come in close proximity to the earth, some 357,260 kilometers away. It has the smallest distance to Earth this year, which is why you can also see the largest full moon. Full moon and at the same time proximity to the earth again lead to extreme tides with spring tides on the coasts. At a distance of around 406,270 kilometers, the moon will reach its farthest orbit point on the 26th at noon. Two days later, on July 28th, the new moon phase occurs. (dpa)
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