July 9, 2021: Brilliant Evening Star Venus and Mars are in the west-northwest after sunset. Use a binocular to find the Red Planet, 2.0° to the upper left of easily-observed Venus.
Astronomy
2021, July 8: Venus – Mars Conjunction, 4 Evenings
July 8, 2021: Evening Star Venus is 2.6° to the lower right of Mars this evening, four evenings before their conjunction. The star Regulus is to the upper left of the planetary pair.
2021, July: Mercury’s Summer Morning Visibility
July 2021: Elusive Mercury appears in the morning sky in the east-northeast during morning twilight. The best mornings to see Mercury are July 7 and July 8, when the moon is nearby.
2021, July 7: Venus – Mars Countdown
July 7, 2021: In five evenings, Venus passes Mars for the first conjunction in a triple conjunction that carries into 2022. Look for them low in the west-northwest after sunset.
2021, July 6: Venus, Mars Final Approach
July 6, 2021: In less than a week, brilliant Venus passes Mars in the west-northwestern sky after sunset. This evening the two planets are 3.8° apart. Venus is over 18° to the lower right of the star Regulus.
2021, July 1- 7, Morning Moon
July 1 – July 7, 2021, the waning crescent appears in the eastern sky. Early in the viewing period, the moon is among the dim stars of Pisces. As the week progresses, the moon wanes and moves farther eastward, appearing near Taurus.
2021, July 5: Earth at Aphelion
July 5, 2021: Our planet Earth reaches its farthest point in its yearly trek around the sun. Our seasons are not related to Earth’s distance from the sun. Coincidentally, the moon is at its farthest point from Earth today.
2021, July 5: Evening Star Venus, Mars Evening Sky
July 5, 2021: Venus continues to close in on Mars in the west-northwest after sunset. In a week Venus passes the Red Planet.
2021, July 4: Venus Aims at Mars
July 4, 2021: The Venus – Mars conjunction is eight days away. This evening Venus moves to within 5° of the Red Planet.
2021, June 21: Jupiter Retrogrades
June 21, 2021: Jupiter begins retrograde, moving westward compared to the distant stars, today. The Jovian Giant, among the stars of Aquarius, is in the southern sky before sunrise.