NASTRO Sky Guide July 2016

Highlights: Mars and Saturn in the southern sky. Noctilucent cloud season peaks. Dark skies begin to return.

Wholesky Chart
North
July 15th at 2230UT (11.30pm local time BST)

Northumberland, UK
Lat: 55 N, Lon: 01 W

AURIGA

LY
N

Capella

R
PE

SE

US

CA

ME

LO

TR
IA

Mirfak

R
PA

NG

A
R

UM

LI
S

UL

M 81 M 82

CE
LA

PH

EU

LE O

Alkaid
S

RT

SU

East

CO
DR A
Deneb
GN

M 3
US
M 92

Vega
LYRA

VU

M 15

u
pt
Ne

ne

EQ
U

L PE

M 57

CU

LA

M 27

DE
UL

L PH

EU
S

INU

Arcturus

Albireo

SAG
ITTA

S
PEN
SER UT
CAP

Rasalgethi
Rasalhague

IU

TE
OO

NA IS
RO
Izar
CO R E A L
O
B
Alphecca

M 13
HE R C U L E S

Altair

AQ
UA
R

CY

VI
RG

A
PEG

C
E

Mizar

West

Alioth

Thuban

Kochab

CO
B E MA
RE
NI C
E

URSA
M IN O R

Merak

URSA
M AJ O R

Polaris

Scheat

Dubhe

IA

PISCES

ANDRO MEDA

M 31
Andromeda
Galaxy

CA
VE NES
NA
T IC
I

SI O P E

M 33

LEO M

C AS

INO

Spica

M 5

CA

SERPENS
CAUDA

AQU
ILA
PR
IC

OR

Zubeneschamali

Algiedi
NU

U
OPHIUCH

E li

pti

LIB

RA

Zubenelgenubi

rs
Ma

SCUTUM

Saturn

Pluto

Antares
SAGITTARIUS

This chart is also applicable to:

Magnitude scale
July 1st at 2330UT (12.30am local time BST)
July 31st at 2130UT (10.30pm local time BST)

Kaus Australis
1

July 4

South

4 5

July 12

July 19

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

July 26

The moon is at perigee (closest to Earth) on July 1st and

July 27th. Apogee (furthest from Earth) occurs on July 13th.
There are no solar or lunar eclipses this month.

Mer ury passes through superior conjunction (on the farside of the Sun) on July 7th and becomes an evening sky object after
that. However, it is badly placed for UK observers this month and sets shortly after sunset in a still-bright sky.
Venus is technically an evening sky object but is too close to the Sun in the sky to be observed this month.

Mars is visible from shortly after sunset and is found low above the southwest horizon. Mars is in the Libra and shining
brighter than any other star in the evening sky. It is also distinguished by its strong orange-red colour. Earth and Mars
are drawing apart in their orbits and so the magnitude fades from 1.4 to 0.8 during the month. The gibbous moon
is north of Mars on the evening of July 14th.
Jupiter is visible in the western sky for a short period after evening twilight begins. It has a magnitude of around 1.8 and
is fading gradually. The planet is big enough for small telescopes to easily pick out the equatorial cloud belts and four
largest moons. Jupiter is in the constellation Leo and the crescent moon is nearby on the evenings of July 8th and 9th.
Saturn appears low in the south during evening twilight among the stars of Ophiuchus. The brightness is around magnitude
+0.2 and fading gradually. The rings are easily seen through telescopes. The gibbous moon is nearby in the sky on
July 16th.
Uranus rises very late in the evening and is best seen in the hours after midnight among the stars of Pisces. At magnitude
+5.8 it is potentially visible to the naked eye from a dark, clear location.
Neptune is in the constellation Aquarius. At magnitude +7.8 telescopes (or very steadily held binoculars) are required to
see the planet. It easy to located; about 0.5 south of the 4th magnitude star (lambda) Aquarii.
Pluto the ex-planet reaches opposition on July 7th and is above the horizon throughout the short evenings. Pluto is very faint
around magnitude +14.1 and in the southern constellation of Sagittarius. The very low altitude of Pluto above the
horizon means its light is heavily attenuated and is unlikely to be seen from Northumberland even through very big
telescopes. However, it can be imaged with smaller telescopes under good observing conditions. Avoid nights where
the moon is above the horizon.

Constellation Focus: Hercules

Hercules is a large, faint pattern of stars located high in the southern sky during July evenings; look for it roughly midway
between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega. Four of the stars form box-shaped asterism in the middle of the constellation known as The Keystone. Hercules represents the hero from Greek mythology and is one of Ptolemys original 48
constellations created in the 2nd century AD.
19h
+

16h

Rastaban
18h

17h

HE R C U L E S

Vega

M 13

Kornephoros (beta) Herculis is the brightest star (mag.

+2.8) in the constellation. It is a giant star (evolving
away from main sequence and exhausting its core hydrogen) and is about 139 light-years away.

M 92
+40 2
2

TES
B OO

6229

LYRA
13

scopes can resolve a striking bluish 5th magnitude companion with a separation of 4.6 arcseconds. The system
is about 360 light-years away.

Eltanin
50

A
CORON IS
L
B OR E A

+30

Alphecca

6210

Kornephoros

109
+20 110

102

95

111

Rasalgethi

S
SERPEN
CAPUT

Rasalhague
+10

72

Unukalhai

OPHIUCHUS

SERPENS
CAUDA

70

Mag. 1

67

684

Open cluster
Globular cluster
Planetary nebula

Galaxy

 Diffuse nebula

M 13 is one of the brightest globular clusters in the sky. It

is easy to find in the constellation Hercules, on a line
between (eta) and (zeta) Heculis. Binoculars easily
show the cluster as a softly glowing round smudge of
magnitude +5.8. Medium to large sized telescopes resolve the outer regions into countless stars. In reality
there are around 300,000 stars in the cluster. M 13 is
located about 22,000 light-years away.
M 92 is another bright globular cluster in Hercules and often overlooked in favour of the more famous M 13.
The cluster about 27,000 light-years away and shines at
magnitude +6.4. It is easily seen with binoculars but
larger telescopes can resolve many of the 250,000 stars
within it.

Rasalgethi (alpha) Herculis appears to the eye as an orange

star of 3rd magnitude. It is actually a famous binary NGC 6210 is a 9th magnitude planetary nebula visible in
star system. The primary star is a red giant. Good telemoderate telescopes.
Finally, July typically sees the strongest displays of noctilucent clouds; keep a check on the northern horizon from about 1 21
hours after sunset for signs of these delicate bluish clouds which condense on meteor smoke high in the mesosphere.
Wishing you clear skies!
Dr Adrian Jannetta CMath FRAS ( AdrianJannetta www. osmi river.net)