On July mornings, you can see four bright planets: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Venus is brightest and closest to the sunrise horizon. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn follow the path the sun takes during the day. Notice that Mars brightens and appears redder this month; Earth is catching up to Mars in the race of the planets around the sun. Jupiter – 2nd-brightest only to Venus – gleams high in the sky as dawn approaches. Fainter, golden Saturn is rising in mid-to-late evening now, becoming more prominent as it approaches opposition in August. Before sunup, notice that a line between the other planets points to Saturn. Mercury will show up in the evening sky before July ends.
In this article:
Night sky guide for July 2022
July-September 2022 heliocentric solar system
Some resources to enjoy
Night sky guide for July 2022
With binoculars: Watch Saturn move
Saturn is now moving toward its August 14 opposition, meaning this is the best time of year to observe the planet. Here's an easy and fun observation. Use binoculars to observe Saturn's retrograde (westward) motion with respect to 2 moderately bright stars in Capricornus: Gamma Capricorni and Delta Capricorni. You'll see Saturn move westward with respect to these stars throughout July. Chart via John Jardine Goss.
July 18 and 19 mornings: Jupiter near the moon
The waning gibbous moon moves near Jupiter on the mornings of July 18 and 19. Chart via John Jardine Goss.
July 18-22 mornings, with binoculars: Venus near M35 cluster
On the mornings of July 18 to 22, Venus lies in the same binocular field as the delicate star cluster M35 in the constellation Gemini the Twins. Chart via John Jardine Goss.
July 21 morning: Mars next to the moon
In the early morning hours of July 21, red Mars lies directly next to the waning crescent moon. Moreover, viewers in Japan, northeast Russia, northwest Alaska, Svalbard and north Greenland see a lunar occultation; that is, the moon passes in front of the planet. Click here for info about the occultation. Chart via John Jardine Goss.
July 23 and 24 mornings: Moon near Aldebaran and Pleiades
On the mornings of July 23 and 24, the waning crescent moon is near the bright red star Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. The dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster will be close by.
July 25 and 26 mornings: Moon near Venus
On the mornings of July 25 and 26, the waning crescent moon, shining faintly with earthshine on its darkened portion, is near the brightest planet Venus. A beautiful sight! The bright red star nearby is Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull. And the beautiful, dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster twinkles above them all.
Late July and early August: Delta Aquariid meteor shower
The nominal peak of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower is July 29. But the reality is that these meteors ramble along steadily throughout late July and early August. Delta Aquariid meteors radiate from near the star Skat, aka Delta Aquarii, in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. The meteor shower takes its name from this star. In turn, Delta Aquarii is near bright Fomalhaut in our sky. In late July to early August, Fomalhaut is highest around 2 a.m. (no matter where you are). It's southward from the Northern Hemisphere, closer to overhead from the Southern Hemisphere. Fomalhaut appears bright and solitary in the sky. It's sometimes called the Loneliest Star. To find it, draw a line roughly southward through the stars on the west side of the Great Square of Pegasus.
July 30 and 31 mornings, planets with binoculars: Mars next to Uranus
In the early mornings of July 30 and 31, Mars can be seen in binoculars next to Uranus, the 7th planet from the sun. Mars shines relatively bright and red. Uranus appears as a dim greenish "star." Chart via John Jardine Goss.
July 30 and 31 evenings: Mercury and the moon (Southern Hemisphere)
For Southern Hemisphere viewers on July 30 and 31, Mercury can be spotted hugging the horizon 40 minutes after sunset. In fact, on July 30, it lies below the thin waxing crescent moon, complete with earthshine. Also, Mercury hugs the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere, so it may be very difficult to spot. Chart via John Jardine Goss.
Photos of planets from EarthSky's community
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Nathaniel Adam Cruz in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines, captured the July supermoon on July 14, 2022, and said: "After July's full moon reached its peak at 2:38 AM, the biggest supermoon of 2022 sets on the hillside ridge of Carmen Hill in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines." Thank you, Nathaniel.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ragini Chaturvedi in New Jersey captured this very young moon on June 30, 2022 and wrote: "Tiny three day old crescent Moon in the blue hour, tonight. Caught it just in the nick of time before it went below my horizon of view." Thank you, Ragini!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Miguel Sala in Alicante, Spain, captured this panorama of the bright planets on June 24, 2022. Miguel wrote: "The solar system: At sunrise on June 24, the planets visible to the unaided eye appeared aligned in the same position as they are in the solar system. Even the waning moon seemed to represent Earth's position in the solar system." Thanks, Miguel!
July-September 2022 heliocentric solar system planets
The sun-centered charts below come from Guy Ottewell. You'll find charts like these for every month of 2022 here, in his Astronomical Calendar. Guy Ottewell explains:
In these views from ecliptic north, arrows (thinner when south of the ecliptic plane) are the paths of the four inner planets. Dots along the rest of the orbits are five days apart (and are black for the part of its course that a planet has trodden since the beginning of the year). Also, semicircles show the sunlit side of the new and full moon (vastly exaggerated in size and distance). Additionally, pairs of lines point outward to the more remote planets.
Phenomena such as perihelia (represented by ticks) and conjunctions (represented by lines between planets) are at dates that can be found in the Astronomical Calendar. Likewise, Gray covers the half of the universe below the horizon around 10 p.m. at mid-month (as seen from the equator). The zodiacal constellations are in directions from the Earth at mid-month (not from the sun).
View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, July 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.View larger. | Heliocentric view of the solar system, August 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.View larger. | Heliocentric view of solar system, September 2022. Chart via Guy Ottewell.
Some resources to enjoy
Don't miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It's free!
Visit EarthSky's Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.
Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.
Translate Universal Time (UTC) to your time.
See the indispensable Observer's Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.
Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.
Back by popular demand! Guy Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar for 2022.
Great resource and beautiful wall chart: Guy Ottewell's zodiac wavy chart.
Guy Ottewell's Zodiac Wavy Chart is a 2-by-3 foot (0.6 by 0.9 meter) poster displaying the movements of the sun, moon and planets throughout the year. You can purchase it here.
Bottom line: In July, after Mercury disappears from view, there will be four bright planets visible in the morning sky. Then, Mars continues brightening in the morning sky making it easier to spot the red planet.
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John Jardine Goss
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About the Author:
"I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime" was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations when he was 6 years old. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 20,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and has authored the celestial observing guides Exploring the Starry Realm and Carpe Lunam. John also writes a monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League's Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer's Handbook.
Marcy Curran
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About the Author:
Marcy Curran has enjoyed star gazing since she was a young girl going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley's comet in 1985 on its way in to another close encounter with the sun. Her passion for astronomy eventually led her to being a co-founder of a local astronomical society. Marcy remains active in her astronomy club including being the editor of a monthly newsletter. She also contributes a monthly article to her local newspaper focusing on the stars, planets and objects currently visible in the nighttime sky. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. Marcy retired in December 2021 and is delighted to join Earthsky.org as an editor of night sky articles. Her hobbies - other than star gazing - include reading, knitting, jigsaw puzzles and photography. Marcy and her husband live in Wyoming.
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