The Night Sky
July 2021
The Planets.
This month the long summer days stretch into the evening making it quite difficult observe deep, dark sky objects. But this month, if you want to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn here is some help.
If you were lucky enough to live in the southern hemisphere and look up at the night sky you would barely recognise the night sky. ‘Down under’ the best feature over the next few years is the position of the planets such as Saturn and Jupiter. They will pass directly overhead throughout the year and will be a dream to observe. Unfortunately, for us in Embsay these planets barely get above the horizon and are badly placed for several years. However, there are opportunities to see them if you know when and where to look.
There are just three obstacles to overcome. The weather, staying awake and having a view low to the west and south. If you can tick all three - you are in business!
A big clue to finding the planets at these times is the position of the moon.
Look out around 10pm on 12th July and the moon passes Venus and Mars low in the West. PLEASE MAKE SURE THE SUN HAS SET BEFORE SCANNING THE SKY WITH BINOCULARS.
Venus will be brighter than Mars but as they are so close together they will be easy to spot. It is amazing that here on Earth we are controlling Rovers called Perseverance and Zhurong which are exploring the surface of that little dot called Mars. We also have recently piloted a Drone (Ingenuity) which is the first powered- controlled flight of an aircraft on another world.
Later on in the month, 24thJuly and a little later at 11.30pm, you will see a full moon pass Saturn and the following day Jupiter, low in the south-east.
Looking directly at Jupiter in a telescope you will see bands of clouds and maybe you will catch the great red spot as I did when I took this picture a few years back.
If you have binoculars you will easily see 4 of Jupiter’s moons as they will all be lined up on one side of Jupiter on the 24th and furthest out, Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and closest is Io. Europa is of particular interest. A trapped ocean under its surface as a possible breeding ground for life has created great excitement. A spacecraft called JUICE due to arrive in 2029 will explore this and other icy moons of Jupiter.
If you also take a closer look at Saturn, you will spot its giant moon Titan. We have already visited Titan in the probe Huygens. It is the only place other than Earth known to have liquid rivers, lakes and seas on its surface. If you have a steady hand with binoculars and focus on Saturn itself, you may be able to discern its rings but in all likelihood you will see a star with ‘ears’. But if you are lucky enough to have a telescope, then Saturn, of all the planets, is the most spectacular. Even a low powered telescope can observe the rings around the planet and the prominent gap between them called the Cassini Division.
Realistically, however, this is what you are more likely to see through binoculars:
Photo Dr Niranjan Chavan MD
Happy planet hunting and clear skies.
Milan Davidovic
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