Saturn's Rings Thin to a Line, and a Buck Moon Arrives
A guide to the late July sky: Saturn's rings almost edge-on, a full Buck Moon on July 29, the Milky Way and a comet. All by eye or with binoculars.
- In late July, Saturn's rings sit at an unusually shallow angle, almost edge-on, a rare treat through a telescope.
- The full Buck Moon lights up the sky on July 29.
- The Milky Way is best seen on the darkest nights around mid July, near the new moon.
- Comet 10P/Tempel 2 is visible through binoculars in the constellation Capricornus.
When did you last actually look up? Late July is a good moment to fix that, because several things line up in the sky at once that you do not get every month. You do not need an expensive telescope. For most of it the naked eye is enough, and for the finer details a plain pair of binoculars, the kind you probably already have in a drawer, will do.
Let’s take it in order, from what anyone can catch to what takes a little effort.
In the evening, as soon as it gets dark, Venus shines clearly in the west. That is the point everyone jabs a finger at and calls “the brightest star”, when it is really a planet. Not a star, no twinkle, just steady and calm. Over on the eastern side of the sky, Saturn rises at the same time, and that is where it gets interesting.
Why are Saturn’s rings special right now?
Because we are seeing them almost edge-on. Saturn is tilted relative to us, so over the years the angle at which we view the rings shifts. In late July that angle is unusually small, and the rings look like a thin line drawn through the planet, almost as if they had vanished. This does not happen often, and it is worth catching.
To the naked eye Saturn looks like a steady yellowish point. You will not see the rings without a telescope, but even a small one at this angle gives you a view you do not get all the time. If you can get your hands on one, this is the night to dig it out.
Unlike Venus and Saturn, Jupiter has all but dropped out of the story this month. It was only visible in early July, until about the fifth, and then it slipped into the glare of the Sun. Late in the month it passes into conjunction with the Sun on July 29, so forget it for now. It will be back, just not yet.
The Milky Way, a comet and the Buck Moon
The loveliest part of the sky asks for no gear at all, only darkness. Around mid July, near the new moon, the nights are at their darkest and that is when the Milky Way shows best. It stretches like a pale, cloudy band across the summer sky, toward the constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius. Get out of the city, give your eyes fifteen minutes to adjust, and the band will appear on its own.
If you have binoculars, look for comet 10P/Tempel 2 as well. It sits in the constellation Capricornus and looks like a small fuzzy glow, nothing dramatic, but it is nice to know you are watching an icy body that comes back to us every few years.
Last comes the Moon, which spoils the fun a little, in the nicest possible way. The full Moon falls on July 29 and carries the name Buck Moon, after the deer whose new antlers grow at this time of year. When the Moon is full and bright, the sky is so lit up that the fainter stars and the Milky Way fade away. So the logic is simple: hunt the dim, small things around mid month while the Moon is new, and around the 29th enjoy the Moon itself, because it will be the main act of the evening.
Our advice is easy to follow. One evening in mid July, drive a little way out from the city lights, take binoculars and wait for real darkness. Another evening, around the 29th, step onto the balcony and look at the full Moon. Two different nights, two completely different skies.
So, when did you last put the phone down and just look up?
