Have you been noticing an extra star in the western sky recently? That’s because sunsets in July come with an extra view of our cosmic neighbor, the planet Venus. This rocky world is similar in size to Earth, but unfortunately, developed into an incredibly hot world. It’s sometimes referred to as “the Morning Star,” or “the Evening Star,” depending on when it’s visible. In July, it’s the latter, and you’ll find Venus sitting low in the west together with a faint planet Mars beginning about half an hour after sunset. Read more for two videos and a bonus.
You’ll be able to view this phenomenon each evening as Venus and Mars get closer, with the closest conjunction arriving on July 12th, when they’ll be only a finger’s width apart. View them together with a slim, crescent Moon that is just 10% illuminated. The Red Planet will be most visible at the start of July and more difficult to see as the month goes on. It will remain in the evening sky for the rest of the year, with its brightest day coming on December 4th, along with the new moon.
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July is one of the best times of year to enjoy the magical sight that is the Milky Way. This is our view of our spiral galaxy, seen edge on, from within. Now, some part of the Milky Way is visible in the night sky any time of year, but the galaxy’s bright, complex core is only observable during certain months,” said NASA.
