A Glimpse of Mercury & Two Minor Meteor Showers in July

The month of July is going to be a little slow astronomically speaking for casual backyard stargazers. Maybe it's for the best. With the rain, then heat and resulting humidity, the mosquitoes are already drawing more blood than my doctor does. And with so many diseases now more prevalent from insect bites, even I won't risk unnecessary exposure to their onslaught.

But by covering up as much skin as possible and dousing yourself with the maximum percent of Deet allowable, you can catch a glimpse of our solar system's innermost planet Mercury during the first week or so in July, and then at the end of the month watch for two fairly minor meteor showers to send a few shooting stars across the heavens.

On June 27, the planets Mercury and Venus are so close in the western sky at sunset that they will appear as one object to the naked eye. You'll need an unobstructed horizon because this event will happen with the planets within ten degrees of the horizon (that's the distance covered by your fist held vertically at arm's length!!). If observing conditions allow, binoculars or a small telescope will resolve the two bodies. Venus will show a 91 percent illuminated disk, while Mercury's will be 60 percent. Each night these two celestial wanderers will move farther apart.

Then, on July 8, the stunning view of Mercury (now only 42 percent illuminated) and Venus (about 89 percent illuminated) will be joined by a very thin crescent Moon. Again, this event will all take place with the three objects within twelve degrees of the west, north-west horizon. The Moon will be the highest in the sky, followed within a couple of degrees by brilliant Venus, then about a degree below and to the left you'll once again catch a glimpse of Mercury.

This heavenly configuration would be a great image to capture using a digital camera. Try your luck. If you're successful, send it to the Skyscraper webmaster at our web site listed later in this column. Good luck!

Shortly after this wonderful apparition, Mercury will quickly move closer to the horizon each successive night and will soon disappear below it, while Venus will rise higher and higher into the night sky.

Also in early July, the 5th to be exact, the Earth will be at its farthest point from the Sun for the year at 94,514,940 miles.

The only other highlight for July is a couple of meteor showers at month's end. The first one, the Delta Aquarids, peaks on the evening of the 27th to the early morning of the 28th. The Moon will be just past last quarter. It will definitely interfere somewhat with observing all but the brightest of the meteors. Usually about 20 bright, yellow meteors can be observed per hour at peak. Because these meteors nearly broadside the Earth, their speed is a moderate 25.5 miles per second.

The second meteor shower, the Capricornids, come a day later on the night of July 28/29. The Moon will still be apparent during the early morning hours, so it will reduce the number of meteors one can observe. The Capricornids are characterized by their often yellow coloration and their frequent brightness. They are also slow interplanetary interlopers, hitting our atmosphere at around 15 miles per second. Expect perhaps less than eight meteors per hour at best, though the Capricornids are noted for producing brilliant fireballs.

Don't forget, you can enjoy magnificent views of the heavens by visiting Seagrave Memorial Observatory on Peeptoad Road in North Scituate. Skyscrapers, Inc., The Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island, offer public observing free of charge every clear Saturday night. The gate to our facility opens about a half-hour after sunset. Our members will be happy to share their love of the sky with you. More information, including directions and membership, can be found at our website: ( http://www.theskyscrapers.org/ ).

Keep your eyes to the skies!