JULY 2009 – OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS

*Be sure to notice Titian’s shadow transit Saturn on July 1^st at 10:49 PM.

 I.     EARTH SATELLITES:

Moon – New moon July 21^st

1^st  Quarter – July 28^th

Full moon – July 7^th

Last quarter – July 15^th

II.      ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES:

Check out “Spaceweather.com” and click on “Satellite Fly Bys.” It shows only the brightest satellites, such as the ISS, Hubble space Telescope, the Iridium wreckage, etc. It also gives their data, such as rise time, direction, elevation, and magnitudes.

III.     PLANETS:

MERCURY: Low in the East-Northeast one half hour before sunrise on July 1^st – mag.  -1.0

VENUS: Predawn finds Venus in the East lying in Taurus the Bull at mag. - 4.2. In its background lie M45 the Pleiades and also the Hyades Star clusters.

MARS: Rises with Venus in the predawn.  On the first Mars stands 4 degrees above Venus.

JUPITER: As Saturn settles in the West, Jupiter rises in the Southeast, and shines at a mag. of -2.8 and dominates the sky overnight.

SATURN: Early July Saturn remains above the Western horizon until midnight.  Your best view will come as Twilight comes to a close.  Saturn will be a mag.-1.0.   *Be sure to notice Titian’s shadow transit Saturn on July 1st at 10:49 PM.

NEPTUNE:  With a noticeable blue gray hue, Neptune will lie within 2 degrees of Jupiter. You should see both within the same wide field through your telescope.

URANUS:  One hour after Jupiter and Neptune rise, Uranus peeks out above the horizon mag. 5.8.  It shows up in binoculars after midnight in Pisces the fish.

IV.    DEEP SKY: Constellations – Enjoy the summer Triangle, Sagittarius, Hercules, Ursa Major, Ophiuchus, and many more this time of year.

V.     NEBULA:  The dumbbell Nebula M27 is easily seen in binoculars.  It lies in Valpecula. This magnificent planetary nebula is very bright and large. The Ring Nebula M57 lies in Lyra.  With a filter you can also see the veil nebula in Cygnus the Swan.

VI.    CLUSTERS: M13 in Hercules is the largest globular cluster in the Northern Hemisphere.  Look for it in Hercules’ keystone.  M5 another fine globular cluster lies in Serpens.  M11, the Wild Duck cluster is one of the richest and most compact open clusters.  Lying in Scutum, it’s one of the grandest views in the sky.

VII.    GALAXIES:  M81 and M82 can be seen in the same field of view in binoculars and wide field telescopes.  Look in Ursa Major for the gems. Check out the whirlpool galaxy M51 in Canes Venatici. 

VIII.   COMETS: Comet 22P/Kopff should glow 8^th mag. in July as it moves slowly through the background stars of Aquarius. 

*Don’t forget to see one of the most beautiful double stars in the heavens – Alberio in Cygnus the Swan.