I apologise for the late arrival of these notes. Entirely the fault of your Coordinator!
The summer solstice has just passed, but skies are too light too late for any deep sky astronomy. Astronomical twilight still lasts all night, so there will be a permanent glow in the north, even at midnight.
Noctilucent Clouds
July is a good time to look out for these in the northwest an hour or so after sunset. They occur when fine dust particles in the very high atmosphere form ice crystals around them. These reflect sunlight still shining at those altitudes. They can appear electric blue/white.
Do watch out for them and try to photograph them if possible.
Aurora
The Sun is around its maximum activity and may produce more aurorae. I suggest you download an aurora alert App, such as Aurora Pro. The nights may be a little too bright for great displays, but by the end of the month the nights are getting longer, so keep an eye out.
Planets
The only planet visible in the evening sky this month is Mercury.
It reaches greatest eastern elongation on the 22nd July and will be 27o east of the Sun. Its northerly declination means it should be easier to find after sunset. This is a good opportunity to view this planet throughout the month. The diameter on the 4th is 5.9” (arc sec) with a phase of 73% (gibbous). By the 22nd, its diameter is 8“ and the phase is 50%.
This is an elongation worth observing!
The other planets are still morning objects, but increasing their elongation from the Sun and therefore easier to view. Anyone wishing to observe them and who would like more details should contact me at coord@cotswoldas.org.uk
Moon
5th July: New Moon 13th July: Moon is at First Quarter
21st July: Full Moon 28th July: Moon is at last quarter
Sun
The Sun is rather active currently, so watch out for large Sunspot groups. Remember to never look at the Sun directly without a proper solar filter.
Meteors
This month sees the start of the Perseid meteor shower which reaches its maximum around mid August. Try to catch some early ones. The radiant is around RA 3h 11m and Dec +58o.
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