Over a period of 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes, the Moon goes through its lunar cycle that varies in its brightness and size perceived in our night skies.
On Monday, the Moon will embark on a new lunar phase marked by the new moon. As the Moon creates its new cycle, it will appear at its weakest point, allowing other celestial objects to shine even brighter.
And, as always, we are here to turn your eyes to heaven and tell you what to look for to appreciate the wonders of the cosmos.
The moon’s lunar cycle is marked by some milestones. At the peak of its cycle, a small sliver of the Moon’s crescent gradually appears in our skies as it grows to become a full Moon. After that, invisibility begins to dwindle once more, before starting again.
However, at the beginning of its cycle, the Moon is on the same side of Earth as the Sun, with its dark side facing our planet. As a result, it appears that our natural satellite has become almost invisible to us.
On the other hand, as the Moon fades into celestial existence, it is a great opportunity for sky watchers to marvel at other objects in the night sky.
Saturn in opposition
Monday night is also the day that Saturn will be in opposition.
An opposing planet means that they are directly opposite the Sun, aligning perfectly with Earth and the host star. As a result, Saturn’s planetary body will appear even brighter to us as it absorbs light from the host star.
Therefore, Saturn’s disk and its surrounding rings will be visible in the night sky through a small telescope just after sunset.
Jupiter in opposition
Like Saturn, Jupiter also came into opposition just a week before its planetary neighbor. The largest planet in the Solar System will remain visible to sky watchers who want to marvel at Jupiter and Saturn together this month.
Jupiter appears as a bright silver star in the sky, which can be observed by a pair of binoculars, and the gas moon’s four moons will also be visible through a small telescope.
NEOWISE kite
Comet NEOWISE made its closest approach to the Sun on July 3, and has been visible to sky enthusiasts ever since.
With the moonlight fading into the celestial background, it’s the perfect time to see this roving kite as it travels through the inner Solar System and gives Earthlings the brightest kite display in decades.
The comet is visible to the naked eye, but a practical pair of binoculars will provide a better view. In mid-July, Comet NEOWISE will be visible at dusk just after sunset, and will appear low on the northwest horizon, according to EarthSky.
The Pleiades star cluster
The Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters, are a famous star cluster known for its visibility from around the world. Under the darkness of the night sky on Monday, the star cluster will shine even brighter.
The cluster is made up of more than 800 type B hot stars located in the northwest of the constellation Taurus at a distance of just over 400 light years from Earth. All stars formed at almost the same time from the same cloud of gas and dust, living up to a few hundred million years.
To locate the Pleiades star cluster, sky watchers must first search for the Orion constellation and follow the upward arc that will lead them to the Pleiades.
Andromeda Galaxy
As the Moon pales in the night sky, it is the best time to see the Andromeda galaxy. As the closest neighboring galaxy to our own Milky Way, Andromeda is the most distant celestial object that you can see with the naked eye from Earth.
The spiral galaxy is 2.5 million light years away from Earth, and is approximately 40% larger than the Milky Way. Andromeda appears as a nebulous group of bright objects to the naked eye, and a pair of binoculars will enhance your vision of our galactic neighbor.
