![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-2.png\")
\nCaption: The Milky Way is on full display during July evenings.\u00a0The Southern Cross and Scorpius guide the way.\u00a0
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium<\/p>\n
The Casual Observer\u00a0<\/p>\n
July continues the season of\u00a0Makuru, and the rainy weather is here to stay. The\u00a0silver lining\u00a0is that between the clouds of rain, the July night sky reveals the wonders of the Milky Way. This is the best time of year to see our galaxy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you can get away from the city lights, the brightest parts of the Milky Way will be stretching across the sky in a\u00a0dazzling sight worth the journey.\u00a0Even from a populated area you should have no trouble tracing\u00a0a line\u00a0from the Southern Cross to Scorpius, extending\u00a0it\u00a0to either horizon\u00a0and\u00a0noticing the bright\u00a0smear of the galaxy\u00a0across the sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nCaption: The Milky Way is on full display during July evenings.\u00a0The Southern Cross and Scorpius guide the way.\u00a0
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium<\/p>\n
Venus dominates the western evening sky\u00a0and\u00a0is backdropped by Leo, the\u00a0lion. This results in a close encounter with Regulus, the brightest star in Leo,\u00a0on\u00a010\u00a0July.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-3.png\")
\nCaption: Venus backdropped by Leo, with Regulus\u00a0nearby.
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium<\/p>\n
The\u00a0eastern\u00a0pre-dawn sky on\u00a011\u00a0July presents a nice sight of Mars, the Moon and (with a telescope!) Uranus.\u00a0This is\u00a0backdropped\u00a0by Taurus and the Pleiades\/Seven Sisters\u00a0cluster, with the bright red star Aldebaran not to be confused with Mars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-4.png\")
\nImage:\u00a0The\u00a0eastern sky at 6:00am on\u00a011\u00a0July is an impressive sight.
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earth reaches aphelion on\u00a07\u00a0July. This is the point on its orbit where our planet is furthest from the Sun.\u00a0A seasonal reminder that\u00a0Earth\u2019s\u00a0increased\u00a0distance from the Sun\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0the cause of winter (remember,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0summer\u00a0in the northern hemisphere right now!).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the increased distance does have\u00a0some\u00a0effect on temperature, the largest contribution to our wintery weather is Earth\u2019s tilt, currently pointing the southern hemisphere away from the Sun, resulting in less solar energy reaching us at this time of year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-5.png\")
\nCaption: The tilt is the reason for the seasons!
Credit:\u00a0Littlenm\/Getty\u00a0Images<\/p>\n
20\u00a0July\u00a0is\u00a0International Moon Day<\/a>, marking the anniversary of the historic\u00a0landing\u00a0of Apollo 11 in 1969\u00a0putting the first humans on its surface. Take a moment to think about the Moon on this date.\u00a0You\u2019ll\u00a0be able to see its waxing crescent sitting above Venus in the evening\u00a0sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n ISS sightings from Perth\u00a0<\/p>\n The International Space Station passes overhead multiple times a day. Most of these passes are too faint to see but a couple of notable sightings*\u00a0are:\u00a0<\/p>\n Date, time\u00a0 1\u00a0July\u00a06:23\u00a0PM\u00a0 3\u00a0July\u00a06:23\u00a0PM\u00a0 Table: Times and dates to spot the ISS from Perth\u00a0 *Note: These predictions are only\u00a0accurate\u00a0a few days in advance. Check the sources linked for more precise predictions on the day of your observations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moon\u00a0phases\u00a0<\/p>\n 8\u00a0July: Last Quarter\u00a0<\/p>\n 14\u00a0July: New Moon\u00a0<\/p>\n 21\u00a0July: First Quarter\u00a0<\/p>\n 29\u00a0July: Full Moon\u00a0<\/p>\n Dates of interest\u00a0<\/p>\n 7 July: Earth at aphelion\u00a0<\/p>\n 8\u00a0July: Moon close to Saturn\u00a0<\/p>\n 11\u00a0July: Moon,\u00a0Mars\u00a0and Taurus in eastern morning sky\u00a0<\/p>\n 20\u00a0July:\u00a0International Moon Day\u00a0<\/p>\n Planets to look for\u00a0<\/p>\n Venus is ruling the northwestern sky this month, a place it will occupy until\u00a0mid-October. After the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest solar system object visible in the night sky, so you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0miss it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Say goodbye to Jupiter, as the giant planet that has been dominating the northwestern sky slowly sinks below the horizon. You can catch it in the west during twilight in the early days, but by mid-month it will be lost in the Sun\u2019s glare.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturn is rising about midnight during July, so is best viewed in the northern sky before sunrise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mercury\u00a0is lost in the glare of the Sun most of July, appearing low\u00a0on the western horizon\u00a0after sunset in the latter\u00a0days of the month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Constellation of the\u00a0month\u00a0<\/p>\n Virgo \u2013 The Maiden\u00a0<\/p>\n Virgo is a\u00a0the second largest\u00a0large constellation\u00a0in the sky \u2013\u00a0visble in the northwest during July evenings. The constellation is\u00a0usually\u00a0interpreted as a maiden\u00a0holding an ear of grain and is often associated with fertility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The constellation\u2019s brightest\u00a0star\u00a0Spica, meaning \u2018The Virgin\u2019s ear (of grain)\u2019\u00a0is a rotating\u00a0ellipsoidal\u00a0variable system \u2013 two stars who orbit so close together their\u00a0mutual\u00a0gravity stretches both stars into egg shapes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Virgo is home to the Virgo Cluster, the nearest\u00a0large cluster of galaxies to the Milky Way, containing about 1,300 galaxies.\u00a0The\u00a0Virgo Cluster\u00a0forms the core\u00a0of the\u00a0Virgo Supercluster,\u00a0an agglomeration of\u00a0about 50,000 galaxies\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including the Milky Way\u00a0\u2013 all bound by their mutual gravity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Near the centre of the Virgo Cluster is the giant elliptical galaxy M87, one of the largest known galaxies in the Universe.\u00a0The active core of M87 is the source of an enormous jet of material ejected from\u00a0the galaxy, as well as extremely bright emissions\u00a0across most of the electromagnetic spectrum.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Long suspected to be\u00a0the location of\u00a0a super massive black hole,\u00a0in 2017\u00a0the core\u00a0of M87 was imaged by the\u00a0Event Horizon Telescope.<\/a>\u00a0The results were consistent with the presence of a super massive black hole 6.5 billion times heavier than the Sun, and\u00a0produced the first published image in 2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The study of\u00a0galaxies and their\u00a0super massive black holes is an active area of research,\u00a0forming\u00a0a cosmological chicken and egg\u00a0conundrum\u00a0\u2013 which came first?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Do\u00a0supermassive black holes form, and\u00a0then accrete\u00a0a galaxy\u2019s worth of material?\u00a0Or do\u00a0galaxies form first and produce supermassive black holes?\u00a0Only more science will reveal the answer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Objects for the small telescope\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0Sombrero Galaxy\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Located in Virgo, though not\u00a0part\u00a0of the Virgo\u00a0Cluster, the Sombrero Galaxy is a striking and unusual galaxy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n With\u00a0an apparent\u00a0magnitude\u00a0of 8.0, the Sombrero\u00a0Galaxy is one of the brightest galaxies\u00a0in the night sky and is easily visible in telescopes or good binoculars, presenting a rewarding target of the keen observer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nAppears\u00a0
\nMax Height\u00a0
\nDisappears\u00a0
\nMagnitude\u00a0
\nDuration\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n10\u00b0 above\u00a0SSW\u00a0
\n37\u00b0\u00a0
\n23\u00b0 above\u00a0E\u00a0
\n-3.2\u00a0
\n4.5 min\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n10\u00b0 above SW\u00a0
\n57\u00b0\u00a0
\n10\u00b0 above\u00a0NNE\u00a0
\n-3.1\u00a0
\n6.5 min\u00a0<\/p>\n
Source:\u00a0Heavens above,<\/a>\u00a0Spot the Station<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-6.png\")
\nCaption: Venus and Jupiter in the western evening sky on\u00a09\u00a0July.
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-7.png\")
\nCaption: Virgo, with Spica labelled.
Credit:\u00a0Stellarium\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-8.png\")
\nCaption:\u00a0Hypothetical appearance of stars in an\u00a0ellipsoidal\u00a0binary.
Credit:\u00a0Smith\/Scitech<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-9.png\")
\nCaption: Some of the galaxies of the Virgo cluster.\u00a0
Credit:\u00a0RubinObs\/NOIRLab\/SLAC\/NSF\/DOE\/AURA \u2013 The Cosmic Treasure Chest,\u00a0CC BY 4.0<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-10.png\")
\nImage: Giant elliptical galaxy M87 with ejected jet (blue).
Credit:\u00a0NASA, ESA, A. Lessing (Stanford University), E. Baltz (Stanford University), M. Shara (AMNH), J. DePasquale (STScI)<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-11.png\")
\nImage: The supermassive black hole M87*.\u00a0The naming convention for black holes is to have the name of a galaxy followed by an asterisk, so in galaxy M87, the black hole is named M87*!\u00a0
Credit: EHT Collaboration<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-12.png\")
\nCaption: The Sombrero Galaxy as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Credit:\u00a0ESA\/Hubble & NASA, K. Noll<\/a><\/p>\n