SKY VIEWS   July 2009 SkyViews-Lastmonth

Moon Phase right now.

Jay Respler         Freehold NJ         732-431-1464        E-mail: JRespler@superlink.net

-- - The longest total solar eclipse of this century will
happen on July 22, when the moon's shadow will appear on the ground at
sunrise in India and speed eastward. After the shadow leaves the Chinese
mainland near Shanghai and moves out over the Pacific Ocean, the maximum
eclipse will occur about 195 miles east of Iwo Jima, where observers will
see the sun disappear for 6 minutes and 39 seconds. Details are available
at http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2009/TSE2009.html. An
interactive map of the path of the eclipse can be seen at
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2009Jul22Tgoogle.html.
The next total solar eclipse visible in North America will be in 2017.

Planets

The eastern sky will be crowded before dawn in July. Venus will rise about
three hours before the sun all month, appearing well above the eastern
horizon as a beautiful "morning star" in the brightening sky.

Accompanying Venus to its upper right (south) will be Mars, a hundred
times fainter and looking like a twin of the orange star Aldebaran nearby.
Joining the party will be two star clusters, the Hyades (including
Aldebaran) and the Pleiades. From July 17 to 20 the crescent moon will
drift past all of them, creating a series of striking formations. The
constellation Taurus the Bull, where all of this will happen, will be hard
to recognize.

Jupiter will rise in the southeast and dominate the southern sky in the
constellation Capricornus the Goat for most of the night. The huge planet
will be opposite the sun in August, so it will appear almost as large as
it can get this month. It will be highest in the south around 3 a.m. local
time, when viewing should be best in binoculars or a telescope.

Saturn will linger above the western horizon after sunset this month,
finally setting around midnight. Its famous rings may not be visible,
since they are now tilted only a few degrees to our line of sight. They
will become edgewise to Earth on Sept. 4, but by then Saturn will be too
close to the sun in our sky to be seen.

Mercury will be out of sight in the solar glare as it passes behind the
sun during July.

Viewing information and graphics for the planets are available at
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/.

Meteor shower

The southern branch of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower will peak before
dawn on July 28, with meteors appearing several nights before and after
the peak as well. The long bright streaks will seem to come from a point
in the constellation Aquarius in the southern sky during the hours just
before morning twilight. The bright planet Jupiter will serve as a nearby
marker this time around. In a dark sky there should be about 10 meteors
per hour at the peak, with only minor interference from the moon.

Aphelion

On July 3, Earth will reach its greatest distance from the sun for the
year, called aphelion. Those sweltering in summer heat in the Northern
Hemisphere may find it hard to believe that they are about 3 percent
farther from the sun than they were in January. Those experiencing winter
in the Southern Hemisphere will be easier to convince. The difference is
caused by the tilt of Earth's axis. The part of the planet tilted toward
the sun is much warmer than the part tilted away, because more sunlight
reaches the ground instead of being absorbed by the atmosphere.

Moon phases

The moon will be full on July 7, at third quarter on July 15, new on July
21 and at first quarter on July 28.

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Questions about space and astronomy, and comments and suggestions about this SkyViews site are welcome.  Write to Jay Respler,   JRespler@superlink.net

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Sky Views is compiled by Jay Respler and is based on information from the Sky Report
of Abrams Planetarium, Department of Physics & Astronomy at Michigan State University, and Hal Kibbey of the Indiana University Office of Communications & Marketing. Thanks are extended for their cooperation.