Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin silhouette of person gazing the galactic center of the milky way on the top of a mountain getty Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere. Be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. The Night Sky This Week: July 1-7, 2024 The first week of July isn't exactly the best of the year for sky-watchers in the northern hemisphere—the extremely long nights make sure of that.
This week, however, is as good as it gets because, with a new moon mid-week, it’s the darkest the post-sunset skies will get in July. Early risers will see a waning crescent moon and meet some of the prettiest sights of the winter night sky while our planet reaches a significant milestone in its annual journey around the sun. Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week: Monday, July 1: Crescent Moon And Mars SkySafari (skysafariastronomy.
com) Monday, July 1: Crescent Moon And Mars If you can get yourself up an hour before sunrise where you are, look east for the pretty sight of a 23%-lit waning crescent moon four degrees above Mars. Closer to the horizon will be bright Jupiter, sandwiched between the beautiful Pleiades open cluster of stars (above) and Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus. Capella, the “goat star,” will be to the left, above the north.
