The magnificent Sombrero Galaxy M104, a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo, is an estimated 29 million light-years from Earth. Photo by MPAS member Steve Wilkins
Highlights this month
- 1WedMercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun — lost in the glare. (12:49pm)
- 6MonThe Moon passes Jupiter — 2° apart. (7:57am)
- 6MonThe Moon passes Saturn — 2° apart. (7:12pm)
- 12SunThe Moon passes Mars — 2° apart. (7:22am)
- 12SunMercury is stationary — resumes direct (eastward) motion. (4:55pm)
- 14TueJupiter at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag −2.6). (5:50pm)
- 17FriThe Moon passes Venus — 3° apart. (4:04pm)
- 21TueSaturn at opposition — closest and brightest of the year, up all night in Sagittarius (mag −0.0). (7:55am)
- 23ThuMercury at greatest morning elongation (20° from the Sun, mag 0.2) — best morning apparition. (1:04am)
- 30ThuSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
- 30ThuAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
This month we will see our two gas giants at opposition: Jupiter on July 14 and Saturn on July 21. Opposition is when the sun is on the opposite side of the sky from the outer planet in question – or, to be more technical, when the sun and the planet are exactly 180 degrees apart in the sky. It is also when the planet is at its general closest position to Earth.
On July 5 we can see Jupiter shining bright close to the moon, with Saturn close to the moon the following night. July 11 will see Mars and the moon close together, with the bright star Aldebaran close by on July 12. Then on July 17 a thin crescent moon will be visible near Venus in the morning.
Sitting high in the southern skies, Scorpius is easy to spot this month. Nearby is the constellation Sagittarius, which is famous for the ‘Teapot’ asterism formed by some of its brightest stars. When you look towards Sagittarius and Scorpius, you are peering towards the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. This whole region is full of rich and beautiful star fields, which are great to explore using binoculars. At this time of the year the constellation Sagittarius offers some exceptional deep-sky objects. The globular cluster M22 is visible to the naked eye if you have good observing conditions. The Lagoon Nebula, or M8, lying above the spout of the ‘Teapot’, is a glowing cloud of gas.
Other famous deep-sky objects in Sagittarius are visible through a telescope, including the Trifid Nebula, or M20. Beside Sagittarius, Scorpius contains the bright open clusters M6 and M7, which remain high in the sky this month. To the north in the constellation Serpens Cauda, the Tail of the Serpent, lies the open cluster M16 in the much fainter Eagle Nebula.
By Nerida Langcake
This article appeared in the July 2020 issue of the Mornington Peninsula Magazine.
The sky in detail — July 2020
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Fri 10 | 7:35am | 5:15pm | 9h 40m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Mon 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 52m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Fri 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- Full MoonSun 5, 2:45pm
- Last QuarterMon 13, 9:29am
- New MoonTue 21, 3:37am
- First QuarterMon 27, 10:34pm
Apogee 13 Jul (404,700 km) · Perigee 25 Jul (368,400 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Gem | 1.5 | 6:13am | 11:11am | 4:09pm | Hidden |
| Venus | Tau | −4.5 | 4:25am | 9:30am | 2:34pm | Morning |
| Mars | Psc | −0.7 | 11:26pm | 5:28am | 11:29am | Morning |
| Jupiter | Sgr | −2.6 | 5:04pm | 12:25am | 7:41am | All night |
| Saturn | Sgr | 0.0 | 5:38pm | 12:53am | 8:04am | All night |
| Uranus | Ari | 5.8 | 2:04am | 7:19am | 12:34pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Aqr | 7.8 | 9:55pm | 4:16am | 10:32am | Morning |
Meteor showers
- Southern Delta Aquariids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Aquarius (up to 25/hr). A favourite southern shower with a high radiant — steady rates through the small hours; overlaps the Alpha Capricornids. A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
- Alpha Capricornids — peaks 30 July, radiant in Capricornus (up to 5/hr). Low rates but noted for slow, bright fireballs; radiant well placed from the south. A bright 79% Moon interferes badly this year.
Computed for The Briars, Mt Martha. Times are local (Melbourne).
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 15 August 2026.
The solar system — July 2020
Evening sky Morning sky Up much of the night Lost in the Sun’s glare
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