Dear readers,
In my previous article titled “What to See in the Night Sky This June: From the Summer Triangle to the Galactic Centre”, published in The European Magazine and on this blog, I explored the wonders of the summer night sky. We identified the brightest stars and located the iconic Summer Triangle. We pinpointed the centre of our Milky Way, a dynamic region brimming with countless celestial treasures such as star clusters and gas-dust nebulae, marking the highlight of our journey through the warm summer nights.
In July, we continue to enjoy warm summer nights and the possibility of observing noctilucent clouds. After darkness sets in, we can explore major constellations and their brightest stars, hopping from star to star as we admire the dense, winding band of our Milky Way stretching all the way up through the northeastern sky. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to spot the Great Andromeda Galaxy, the farthest celestial object visible to the naked eye.
The Andromeda Galaxy
To truly enjoy the experience of stargazing, find a quiet location away from the city lights. Make yourself comfortable as you marvel at the sparkling, star-filled sky while enjoying the cool summer breeze. Although binoculars and telescopes can improve your view, the stunning beauty of the cosmos is captivating enough to appreciate even without them.
Find Capella in Auriga
Facing north, we turn our attention to the Big Dipper, our trusted stellar guide, and identify its second-brightest star, Dubhe, located at the top right-hand corner of the bowl. From Dubhe, draw a line downward to your right toward the northeast. There, we find the striking star Capella, nestled at the top corner of the hexagon-shaped Auriga constellation.
Capella, a quadruple-star system of two binary pairs, is located just 43 light-years away from Earth. It features two yellow giant stars, each about ten times the diameter of the Sun, as well as two much fainter and smaller red dwarfs. Capella’s unique composition and proximity, along with its ranking as the sixth-brightest star in the night sky, make it a fascinating object for both stargazers and astronomers. Its study provides valuable insights into the nature of stars and stellar evolution.
The Auriga constellation, commonly referred to as The Charioteer, is depicted in Greek mythology as the protector of shepherds, carrying a goat in his arms as he rides through the sky in his chariot, bringing much-needed rain to the grasslands.
Find Algol in Perseus
From Capella, follow an imaginary line to the right, toward the east, until you find the distinctive snake-shaped silhouette of the Perseus constellation. Out of its main six stars, two stand out: yellow-white Mirfak, the brightest, and to its lower right, the blue-white Algol, the second brightest but the most famous.
Located 94 light-years away, Algol is a triple star system consisting of a massive blue star, a cooler orange subgiant, and a smaller white star. As these stars orbit and eclipse one another, the brightness of the system varies dramatically over a short three-day cycle. Also known as the Demon Star, Algol is one of the most well-known variable stars in the night sky and is popular among stargazers who closely observe its frequent eclipses.
At the top of Perseus’ curving outline, two clusters of stars appear as fuzzy patches, shimmering side by side. These are known as The Double Cluster, a breathtaking assembly of hundreds of luminous, hot young stars 7,500 light-years away from us. When viewed through binoculars, the fuzzy patches transform into a dazzling display of diamond-like stars, a sight that will surely leave you in awe.
The Perseus constellation is named after the legendary hero Perseus, a central figure in Greek mythology known for his daring feats. He famously killed the fearsome Gorgon Medusa, a creature whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone, and rescued the beautiful Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus.
Find Schedar in Cassiopeia
From the Double Cluster, continue looking upwards until you spot the distinctive W-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, straddling the wavy band of our Milky Way and its rich region of open clusters, galaxies, supernova remnants and nebulae.
The five main stars of the Cassiopeia constellation are easily visible to the naked eye. The brightest star, Schedar, is found at the bottom right corner of the “W” shape. Occasionally, it can be outshone by Navi, which is positioned at the top central point of the “W”. Due to Navi’s eruptive nature, its brightness can temporarily surpass that of Schedar, as if the two stars were engaged in a never-ending contest for brightness.
Schedar is an orange giant star that is 800 times more luminous than our Sun and is situated about 228 light-years away from us. In contrast, Navi is a blue subgiant star with a much greater luminosity (40,000 times that of the Sun) and located farther away (600 light-years away).
The Cassiopeia constellation is named after Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia, known for her beauty and vanity. According to Greek mythology, her conceited behaviour angered the gods, who ordered the destruction of her kingdom. The queen then offered her daughter, Andromeda, to the fearsome sea monster Cetus as a sacrifice to appease the gods.
Find Alpheratz in Andromeda
From Schedar, draw a line to your right, toward the east, to locate Alpheratz, shining brightly in the top left corner of the prominent asterism known as the Great Square of Pegasus —a bright and recognisable pattern of stars dominating the eastern sky.
Alpheratz, straddling the boundary between the Pegasus and Andromeda constellations, is officially part of the large but rather faint Andromeda. Alpheratz lies 94 light years away and is a binary system in a close orbit, formed by a blue-white subgiant star 240 times more luminous than the Sun and a smaller white star.
Along the thin line of stars that make up the Andromeda constellation, we can locate the bright red giant star Mirach, one star to the left of Alpheratz. Mirach is a well-known guide for finding the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest large galaxy to our Milky Way.
A triangle between Schedar, Alpheratz and Mirach frames the Andromeda Galaxy, appearing as a fuzzy patch in dark skies above Mirach. With an estimated trillions of stars and 2.5 million light-years away, this massive spiral galaxy is moving toward us at a speed of 110 kilometres per second. It is expected to collide with our Milky Way in 4.5 billion years, a cosmic event that will reshape both galaxies and the night sky as we know it.
Finding The Andromeda Galaxy
Finding Capella, Algol, Schedar and Alpheratz
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the beautiful princess who was offered as a sacrifice to the gods but was saved by Perseus, who killed the sea monster and freed her from her chains. As soon as they met, Andromeda and Perseus fell in love, and the gods, so touched by their passion, placed them next to each other in the heavens.
The legends behind these constellations tell an extraordinary story filled with challenges, courage, love, and triumph. These myths add depth and intrigue to stargazing, transforming it from merely the observation of stars into a rich narrative that everyone can enjoy.
Main Night Sky Events in July
July 4 – Venus near the Pleiades star cluster
The bright planet Venus, also known as the Morning Star, shines over the eastern horizon and below the dazzling Pleiades star cluster after 2:30 a.m.
July 10 – Full Moon
The Full Moon rises above the southeastern horizon after 9:30 p.m. and then arcs low across the sky toward the south. This full Moon is also known as the Buck Moon, a name derived from Native American traditions since July is the time when male deer, or bucks, have fully developed their antlers.
July 13 – Venus near Aldebaran and The Hyades star cluster.
Venus continues its early morning journey through the Taurus constellation, shining low on the eastern horizon above the bright red-orange star Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster, softly twinkling nearby.
July 16 – The Moon near Saturn
The waning crescent Moon shines above and to the right of Saturn, visible over the southeastern horizon all night after midnight.
July 21 – The Moon near Venus
The thin crescent Moon meets bright Venus in the Taurus constellation over the eastern horizon after 3 a.m., both positioned to the left of Aldebaran, the Pleiades, and the Hyades star clusters—a unique gathering of glittering celestial bodies that make up a stunning sight.
July 23 – The Moon near Jupiter
The thin crescent Moon meets Jupiter after 4 a.m. as they keep rising over the eastern horizon ahead of the Sun.
July 28 – Peak of the July Gamma-Draconids meteor shower
This meteor shower has shown previous outbursts, and observing conditions are favourable, as the Moon is in a very thin crescent phase. After midnight, find a dark area, lie on your back, relax, look up towards the highest point in the night sky, and start counting the shooting stars.
July 30 – Peak of Delta-Aquarids and Alpha-Capricornids meteor showers.
This time, we have multiple meteor showers occurring on the same night and close to each other, increasing our chances of spotting more shooting stars. Look towards the southeastern sky after midnight to experience the thrill of bright fireballs that will set your heart racing.
You can find another version of this article in The European Magazine here: What to see in the night sky this July: Capella, Cassiopeia and the Andromeda Galaxy – The European Magazine
