A lot of great surprises await those who love stargazing this week. Two planets - Mercury and Venus - will have a reunion, and a meteor shower will peak this week.
Night Sky This Week (July 24 - 30)
The brilliant planet Venus has been glowing magnificently. However, as July approaches, the planet disappears from view in the dusk. This week, when Earth's sister planet recedes, and the dwarf planet Mercury rises above it in the sky after sunset, it's time to take one last look at it.
After passing through the glare of the sun in September, Venus will reappear as the "Morning Star" just before daybreak. According to Forbes, here are the night sky events you can expect this week.
Monday, July 24: Moon And Spica
The 41%-lit waxing crescent moon will be just 2º from Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, on Monday. Spica is 250 light-years away.
Tuesday, July 25: First Quarter Moon
The first quarter moon, or the month when the Moon looks half-lit when viewed from Earth, will happen Tuesday night. Stargazing becomes more challenging and less spectacular when the moonlight shines brightly, illuminating the night skies.
Do not schedule a vacation to a dark sky this week or the following since there will be a full moon soon. It would be an excellent opportunity to focus a pair of binoculars on craters on the terminator, the boundary between light and dark on the lunar surface.
Tuesday to Thursday (July 25-27): Venus Meets Mercury
This week, you can observe the two inner planets, a sinking Venus and a rising Mercury, just 5° apart as they switch places in the western dusk. Just after dusk, scan the western horizon low.
Friday, July 28: Mercury And Regulus, In Conjunction
The "Swift Planet" is challenging to spot since the sun's brightness nearly always obscures it. It will be about 0.1º from Regulus.
Regulus, also known as Alpha Leonis, is one of the brightest stars in the sky and the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Leo, with an apparent visual magnitude of roughly 1.35. It is 77 light-years away from Earth. The name Regulus, which comes from the Latin word for king, indicates an old faith in the significance of the star in astrology, per Britannica.
For a unique view, put some binoculars on the couple.
Saturday/Sunday (July 29/30): Southern Delta Aquariids
This meteor shower, which is yearly visible from mid-July to mid-August, is brought on by Earth colliding with the dust trail comet P/2008 Y12 left in the inner solar system. When it peaks, predicted to be right before midnight on Saturday for North America, expect to see roughly 25 "shooting stars" per hour in a dark sky. Come out at 10:00 p.m. Sadly, until it sets around 3:30 a.m., there won't be an 89%-lit moon to buffer the effects of the meters.
What Is Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower?
Mid-July marks the start of the Southern Delta Aquariids' active period until late August. It will peak on July 29 to 31, according to NASA.
If the Moon is in the sky, you won't be able to see any of these elusive, feeble meteors. Your best chance to observe the Southern Delta Aquariids if the Moon is not visible is when meteor rates increase during the shower's peak at the end of July.
If you miss the Southern Delta Aquariid peak, keep an eye out for them during the August Perseid meteor shower. You will know you have seen a Southern Delta Aquariid if the meteor is coming from the direction of the constellation Aquarius.
Delta Aquariid's radiant will be visible in the southern part of the sky, while Perseid will be radiant in the northern part.
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