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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between July 1 and July 31, 2023. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury sets in the west at 8:17 p.m., PDT, and the sun sets at 8:09 p.m., PDT, on the 1^st, and so the planet is unobservable. The planet sets later each night. On the 31^st, the sun sets at 7:55 p.m., PDT, and Mercury sets at 9:10 p.m., PDT. On that date, the planet is 62-percent illuminated and seven arcseconds wide, and so a magnification of 200x is needed to see its disk.  Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus sets in the west at 10:33 p.m., PDT, on the 1^st. Venus is 31-percent illuminated and 34 arcseconds wide. On this date, Venus is 3.5 degrees west of Mars. The distance between them increases each night. On the 16^th, Venus is 3.5 degrees west of Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. On the 31^st, Venus sets at 8:27 p.m., PDT, and is six-percent illuminated and 53 arcseconds wide. The changes to its appearance can be seen with a small telescope.

Mars is in Leo the Lion. On the 1^st, Mars sets in the west at 10:47 p.m., PDT, and is 95-percent illuminated and 4.2 arcseconds wide, too small to see as a disk in most telescopes. On the 31^st, Mars sets at 9:38 p.m., PDT. The planet continues to shrink in size for the rest of this year.

Jupiter is in Aries the Ram on the 19^th. On the 1^st, Jupiter rises in the east at 2:06 a.m., PDT. On the 31^st, Jupiter rises at 12:21 a.m., PDT, and is 40 arcseconds wide. On the morning of the 11^th, Jupiter will be four degrees east of the crescent moon.  The distance between them decreases to two degrees as the day progresses, but both will set long before the sun sets. A magnification of 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons may be seen moving back and forth, roughly in a line centered on Jupiter.

Saturn is in Aquarius the Water Bearer. On the 1^st, the planet rises in the east-southeast at 11:17 p.m., PDT, and on the 31^st, the planet rises at 9:15 p.m., PDT. Saturn is 19 arcseconds wide. A magnification of 50x is needed to see the rings and Saturn’s largest moon Titan.

Uranus is in Aries the Ram. On the 1^st, Uranus rises in the east-northeast at 2:41 a.m., PDT, and on the 31^st, Uranus rises at 12:46 a.m., PDT.  On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 3^h 18^m 23^s and declination +17° 56ʹ 43ʺ. A magnification of 150x is needed to see its 3.5-arcsecond-wide disk.

Neptune is in Pisces the Fishes. On the 1^st, the planet rises in the east-southeast at 12:13 a.m., PDT. On the 31^st, Neptune rises at 10:11 p.m., PDT. On the 15^th, Neptune is at Right Ascension 23^h 52^m 5^s and declination -2° 12ʹ 44ʺ.  A magnification of 150x is needed to see its 2.3-arcsecond-wide disk.

Full moon occurs on the 3^rd, last quarter on the 9^th, new moon on the 17^th, and first quarter on the 25^th.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Southern delta Aquariid meteor shower occurs from July 18 to August 21. The meteors will peak from the night of the 30^th through to the morning of the 31^st. Unfortunately, the moon will be 95-percent full and will interfere with observation. These are usually faint meteors that lack both persistent trains and fireballs. The parent object might be the comet 96P/Machholz.

The alpha Capricornid meteor shower occurs from July 7 to August 15 with a “plateau-like” maximum centered on the 31^st. The peak will occur from the night of the 30^th through to the morning of the 31^st. This shower is not very strong but is notable for the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period. The parent object is the comet 169P/NEAT.

A Lunar-X event happens on Monday, July 24^th, at 10:20 p.m., PDT.  Lunar-X is the raised rim of a few craters that are illuminated by the sun. It appears as a white X-shaped feature on the dark half of the first quarter moon, just west of the terminator, the line between the illuminated and the dark portions of the moon. Lunar-X will be visible for a few hours. Binoculars or a small telescope will be needed to see it.

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