Overview
- A rare close conjunction of Mars and Uranus will be visible before dawn on July 4, with the two appearing about 0.1 degree apart and best seen with binoculars or a small telescope.
- Earth reaches aphelion in early July and the full Buck Moon peaks on July 29, a bright lunar phase that will reduce faint‑meteor visibility around the end‑of‑month peaks.
- Two summer showers, the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids, are expected to reach a combined peak around July 30 but many fainter meteors will be washed out by moonlight.
- Venus will dominate evening twilight and passes near the star Regulus on July 8–9, while several weekly moon–planet close approaches (including Moon–Saturn July 7 and Moon–Mars July 11) provide easy naked‑eye viewing.
- Pluto reaches opposition on July 27 but remains a telescopic target that requires a large aperture and dark skies, and the best dark‑sky window for Milky Way views and comet 10P/Tempel 2 occurs around the new moon on July 14.