IC 2944, also known as the Running Chicken Nebula, is an open cluster with an associated emission nebula found in the constellation Centaurus. IC 2944 gets the nickname from a group of stars that resemble a running chicken, and is about 6500 light-years from Earth. Photo: MPAS member Nik Axaris
Highlights this month
- 4FriMercury at greatest evening elongation (26° from the Sun, mag 0.5) — best evening apparition. (2:25pm)
- 5SatNeptune is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (8:03pm)
- 14MonSaturn is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (4:33pm)
- 16WedThe Moon passes Saturn — 3° apart. (5:18pm)
- 17ThuMercury is stationary — begins retrograde (westward) motion. (5:24pm)
- 23WedThe Moon passes Jupiter — 5° apart. (3:13pm)
- 29TueThe Moon passes Mars — 1° apart. (4:37am)
- 30WedSouthern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks (up to 25/hr). A 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 30WedAlpha Capricornids meteor shower peaks (up to 5/hr). A 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Scorpius is easy to find this month, one of the brightest constellations sitting high in the sky. Nearby are the constellations Sagittarius and the slightly less prominent Libra. 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 a joy to explore using binoculars.
At this time of the year 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, lies above the spout of the ‘Teapot’ and 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.
If you’re observing Libra, the Scales, look out for Zubenelgenubi – Arabic for ‘the Southern Claw’ – which is the brighter component of the binary star system Alpha Librae. Its two stars orbit each other, and a pair of binoculars easily shows them.
Looking north, the wonderful globular cluster M5 is also high in the sky this month. It is roughly 25,000 light-years from Earth towards the constellation Serpens Caput. A small telescope brings many of its outer stars into focus. A short hop east over Ophiuchus into Serpens Cauda and you will find the open cluster M16 surrounded by the much fainter Eagle Nebula.
This month’s conjunctions, which is when two astronomical objects appear close to each other, include Venus and Uranus on July 4, the moon and Saturn on July 16, the moon and Venus on July 22, the moon and Jupiter on July 23, and the moon and Mars on July 29. Also, three meteor showers – the Piscis Austrinids, Alpha Capricornids, and Southern Delta Aquariids – will peak between July 28-30.
By Nerida Langcake
This article appeared in the July 2025 issue of the Mornington Peninsula Magazine.
The sky in detail — July 2025
Sun & twilight
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length | Astro. dark begins | ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 | 7:37am | 5:10pm | 9h 33m | 6:45pm | 6:03am |
| Thu 10 | 7:36am | 5:15pm | 9h 39m | 6:49pm | 6:02am |
| Sun 20 | 7:31am | 5:22pm | 9h 51m | 6:55pm | 5:58am |
| Thu 31 | 7:22am | 5:31pm | 10h 09m | 7:02pm | 5:51am |
Days lengthen by about 36 minutes over the month.
The Moon
- First QuarterThu 3, 5:38am
- Full MoonFri 11, 6:43am
- Last QuarterFri 18, 10:40am
- New MoonFri 25, 5:10am
Apogee 5 Jul (405,100 km) · Perigee 20 Jul (368,200 km)
The planets
Rise/set for mid-month at The Briars.
| Planet | In | Mag | Rise | Transit | Set | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Cnc | 1.3 | 8:37am | 1:55pm | 7:12pm | Evening |
| Venus | Tau | −3.9 | 4:32am | 9:29am | 2:26pm | Morning |
| Mars | Leo | 1.6 | 10:14am | 3:57pm | 9:40pm | Evening |
| Jupiter | Gem | −1.7 | 6:38am | 11:22am | 4:06pm | Hidden |
| Saturn | Psc | 0.8 | 10:49pm | 4:59am | 11:05am | Morning |
| Uranus | Tau | 5.8 | 3:45am | 8:41am | 1:36pm | Morning |
| Neptune | Psc | 7.8 | 10:51pm | 4:58am | 11:01am | 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 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
- 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 29% Moon washes out fainter meteors for part of the night.
Computed for The Briars, Mt Martha. Times are local (Melbourne).
Generated automatically from the MPAS sky engine on 12 July 2026.