New Moon is on 14 July and the Meerkat Full Moon is 29 July.
At the start of July you will be able to see two planets after sunset in the West. Jupiter is getting low in the west after sunset. It will disappear from the evening sky, to re-appear at the end of the month before dawn in the east. Brilliant Venus is high in the western sky where it will remain as the Evening Star until October. If you have a low western horizon and a clear sky, you may also see Mercury below Jupiter at the start of the month. It will soon disappear into the glare around the Sun and will re-appear before dawn at the end of the month.
Before dawn four planets will be visible. Neptune is in Pisces but you need a telescope and detailed charts to see it so I will pass over to the others. Saturn rises around midnight in Pisces and is high in the sky before dawn. Mars rises before 4 am and is in Taurus between the Vee-shape of the Hyades and the Pleiades – known to most as the Seven Sisters. On the morning of 4 July, Uranus will be very close to Mars, so close that it will appear in the same telescope field as Mars. It is bright enough to be seen in binoculars where it will be easy to find because it will be just below Mars. Have a look before dawn on 4 July to see the seventh planet.
Look to the south after sunset to see the Southern Cross pointing straight down to South. To its left are the Pointers, Alpha and Beta Centauri. When the Cross is not standing upright, take a line at right angles to the line between the Pointers and halfway between them. Extend that line to where it crosses a line through the long axis of the cross, and that point will be directly above due south. Look below the Cross for the lovely outline of Musca, the Fly. Look below the Pointers for Circinus, the compasses, and below that for Triangulum Australe, the Southern triangle. You will see at the end of this article a diagram by kind permission of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa. If you explore their website you will find lots of resources for beginner stargazers.
The Astronomical Society of Harare will hold its next meeting on Saturday 11 July at 2:30 for 3:00 pm in the gazebo at Mukuvisi Woodland. There will be tea followed by presentations on astronomical topics. All are welcome – the presentations are intended for people with no astronomical knowledge. Mukuvisi charges a $2 entry fee.
Keep looking up!
Peter Morris, Astronomical Society of Harare
