2017 Week 27: (July 2-8)

The first week of July has begun and the Sun will start spending less time in the sky as the days progress.  There are only a few sights in the sky this week but perhaps worth checking out.

Date	Event
July 2	Juno at opposition
July 3	Earth at aphelion
July 7	Saturn 3°S of Moon

If you are a telescope user the asteroid Juno will reach opposition on July 2.  It is, however, an unfavorable opposition and will only reach magnitude 9.8.  Good luck if you try to scope it out.

The Earth will reach aphelion the next day which means it will be at its furthest point away from the Sun in its orbit.  This may seem counter intuitive to residents of the Northern Hemisphere.  The heat of summer occurs while the Earth is at its furthest from the Sun?  That is true, it is the tilt of the Earth that affects the seasons, not the proximity to our home star.  Perihelion occurs around January 3 each year and the Earth is at its closest in the elliptical orbit.

Later in the week Saturn will appear 3° South of the Moon.  Saturn has been visible in the early evening skies for a few weeks now if you look toward the southeast.  Observers with telescopes should try to find Saturn while the Sun is still above the horizon using the Moon as a guide.  Last night Jupiter was only 2.5° away from the Moon and I was able to catch it in my telescope more than 2 hours before sunset.  The equatorial bands and great red spot were clearly visible against the backdrop of the blue sky.

Jupiter

The Moon's phase will be between the first quarter and full which means it is easy to see in the early evening and has amazing features that can be seen with just a simple pair of binoculars.

Lunar Impact Craters Visible from 8-9 Day Old Moon

The ice giants in the outer solar system are starting to rise nearer to midnight and will make challenging targets for amateur astronomers.  I can promise that finding Neptune or Uranus with a manual scope is quite rewarding!