On July 3 to 9, the night sky is expected to experience some of the most exciting events. As such, the sky will go supermoons and two noticeable planets.
July 3 to 9 Night Sky Events
According to Forbes, the night sky will be visited by many events this week, from an eclipse to viewable planets. Enthusiasts of heavenly bodies or even just curious individuals can note the following dates to witness these exciting events.
Some events, like the "Ring of Fire," are introductory events, with their sequence expected to happen later this year. As such, other events would also appear in the series, so its follow-up date should also be remembered.
Followup dates mostly apply to viewable planets, where some
'Buck Moon' Supermoon on July 3
The first event viewers are expected to experience is the "Buck Moon," or the first of four supermoons of 2023, which will take place in the northern hemisphere. As such, this supermoon will be furthest from the Earth at 361,934 km.
The best time to see this event before turning 100% full is on July 2, 2023, during the moonrise.
'Ring of Fire' Eclipse Countdown on July 6
Forbes clarifies that this isn't the actual solar eclipse itself. As such, July 6 is when the 100-day countdown to the "Ring of Fire" eclipse starts.
The official "Ring of Fire" eclipse will happen on October 14, 2023. This would be when the moon covers 90% of the sun, and the best place to view this is from Oregon to Texas.
Saturn Shows on July 7
On July 7, the moon will be joined by another planet in the solar system, Saturn, which can be found 3º above it. As such, viewers will see an 80%-lit moon with friendly planets around.
Adler Planetarium reports that Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are among the viewable planets within the Earth's solar system.' Saturn will be most viewable just after midnight.
Forbes gave no additional information as to whether Saturn would reappear this year.
Venus, Mars, and Regulus Shows on July 7
After sunset, Venus, Mars, and Regulus, the brightest Leo constellation star, will show just after sunset. From Earth's solar system, Earth Sky reports that Regulus is located 79 light-years away.
Both Mars and Venus are expected to be very bright during this event. As such, there was no additional information given regarding whether Mars would reappear again this year.
Venus at Its Brightest on July 9
After showing itself on July 7, Venus is expected to shine even brighter on July 9. Forbes notes that it will start as a bright "Evening Star" band but will dip and re-emerge as a "Morning Star" on September 18.
On July 9, viewers can notice Venus at its brightest close to the horizon before its retreat. Unlike Mars and Saturn, Venus is expected to reappear on September 18.
RELATED ARTICLE : European Space Agency To Investigate Dark Energy and Dark Matter With Euclid Space Telescope
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.