Stargazers should watch the southeastern skies late this evening for a fine display of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower. With the moon out of the way, as many as 20 meteors an hour may be seen.
The bright planet Jupiter shines boldly from a prominent position in the eastern sky during early evenings this month. Jupiter's Galilean satellites, the four largest and brightest moons circling the planet, can be easily observed using equipment as simple as firmly supported, high-power binoculars.
On this day, in 1969, Apollo 11 went into Moon orbit. The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enter lunar orbit. It was the fifth human spaceflight of Project Apollo and the third human voyage to the Moon.
On this day, in 1912: A meteorite with an estimated mass of 190 kg exploded over the town of Holbrook in Navajo County, Arizona causing approximately 16,000 pieces of debris to rain down on the town.
Between roughly July 17 and 24, thanks to the shortness of the nights, North Americans will get a chance to see the ISS undergoing a series of Type I passes after sunset in the evening sky, and then see it again before sunrise, undergoing a series of Type II passes.
Star gazers will have the opportunity Wednesday night to see the largest planet in our solar system at its clearest. Although the planet Jupiter is visible from Earth most of the year, it will reach its maximum clarity on Wednesday, said Dr. Francis LeBlanc, director of the physics and astronomy department at l'Université de Moncton. For Jupiter to be that visible, LeBlanc said the planet has to be at a point that astronomers refer to as "opposition" -- that is, that viewed from Earth, it would be directly opposite the sun.
July is the first full month of Summer. Now the days shorten and the sun rises later each morning AND sets earlier each evening. July is an excellent month to observe the Summer stars, constellations and the Milky Way high overhead. A naked-eye comet (Comet Boattini) should become visible in the morning sky in early July as it moves away from the sun and into a dark sky.
Astronomers at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) announce that at 4 a.m. EDT on Friday, July 4, the earth, in its annual orbit around the sun, will be at it farthest point from the sun. Astronomers call this point aphelion.