Mercury - will be visible around dawn early in the month. On the 1st it will be at its furthest angle from the sun and shine at magnitude 0.4. It will brighten but be harder to see for the rest of the month as it gets lower on the horizon. By the end of the month it will be invisible as it goes behind the sun.

Venus - will be a tough target early in the month. It will be slowly getting brighter and climbing in the western sky near dusk all month. Venus will be in the twilight glare all month but because it fairly bright it can be spotted through the glare. By the end of the month it will shine at magnitude -3.9. It will be easier to see next month when it climbs higher in the sky.

Mars - in the western sky at dusk. It will still be conspicuous mostly because there will be only one other bright star in that area of the sky. It will shine orange-red at around magnitude 1.7. You will need high magnification and steady skies to make out any detail. Steady skies are unlikely as Mars is slipping lower toward the horizon. On July 10th Mars will be less than 1º from Saturn. The star Regulus will be a little to the north. With their contrasting colors these three will make an interesting target.

Jupiter - will be dominating this month. It reaches opposition this month on the 9th. This is when it is officially its biggest and brightest. It will be shining at magnitude -2.7. It will rise at sunset and set at sunrise. It will be highest in the sky at midnight. This is the best time to observe it- when there is less atmosphere to look through. Its banded surface and four visible orbiting moons make it a great sight even through a small telescope. It shines bright white in color.

For detailed postions of Jupiter's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Saturn - sits in the sky in the west after sunset. It is fading into the dusk s turbulence and glare. Observe it shortly after dusk before it sets. July will be the last month it will be worth observing for a while. Saturn will still shine at around magnitude 0.8 this month but will be lower on the horizon than last month. It will be in Leo near the star Regulus. Telescopic observers will notice that Saturn s rings are getting closer to edge on. Next year Saturn s rings will appear almost completely edge on all year. This makes the rings harder to see and puts the spotlight on Saturn s other features. Saturn has equatorial banding. It is more subtle than Jupiter s. Saturn shines yellow-orange in color. On the night of the 10th Saturn will be around 0.7º from Mars.

The Cassini spacecraft continues its observation of Saturn and its many moons and rings. For the latest images from Cassini, see:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

For detailed postions of Saturn's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Uranus - will be best when it is highest in the sky a few hours after midnight. It will be sitting to the east of the middle of eastern border of Aquarius. At magnitude 5.8 Uranus should be an easy binocular object and a theoretical naked eye target with clear dark skies and a good set of eyes. Uranus shines with pale aquamarine color.

Neptune - will be found this month climbing in the eastern sky after it dark. It will be higher in the sky than Uranus but fainter and smaller. The best time to observe is when it is highest in the sky just after midnight. It will be in Capricornus near the star Gamma Capricorni. Neptune will be shining at magnitude 7.9. It will take some careful looking with a pair of binoculars to spot it. Through a telescope Neptune shines with a pale blue color.

Pluto - reached opposition last month on the 20th. This means that in July it will still be near its brightest and the best time to observe it. Pluto will sit at its highest in the sky at around 11PM. It will be in the constellation Ophiuchus but lower down toward Sagittarius. This is near the thickest part of our galaxy, looking toward the center of the Milky Way. Jupiter shines very brightly a little to the east southeast. Even though it will be nearly at its best, Pluto is always a very tough target. You need dark still skies, a good chart, at least an 8 telescope and patience to find it. It is hard to be sure you saw it visually but with two CCD images taken a day apart it should be easy enough to pick out. This month it shines at magnitude 13.9.

Eris (pronounced "EE-ris") - formerly known as Xena, 2003 UB313, and "the tenth planet" - is magnitude 19 in central Cetus, high in the south during evening.

For detailed information please visit Astronomical Delights

The Delta Aquarids - meteor shower peaks in the morning of the 27th. This shower has a wide peak from around the middle of July to the middle of August but the peak is the 27th. The radiant is in Aquarius which is generally south after midnight. This is just the radiant. The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. This is not necessarily the best shower of the year but it usually produces 10-20 fast meteors per hour. The moon is last quarter so it will not interfere too much. As with any shower, the darker your observing site the more you can see.