Sunrise Sunset

Fri., July 11 5:16 8:16

Sat., July 12 5:17 8:16

Sun., July 13 5:18 8:15

Mon., July 14 5:19 8:14

Tues., July 15 5:20 8:14

Wed., July 16 5:20 8:14

Thurs., July 17 5:21 8:13

Fri., July 18 5:22 8:12

Two evening planets appear low in the southwestern sky after sunset. The bright yellow planet Saturn and the red planet Mars appear as a close pair. The two are less than one degree apart. Mars and Saturn may be close this weekend, but they part company in the nights and weeks ahead.

By the end of this month, Saturn will all but have disappeared, having descended close to the glare of the setting sun.

Mars appears pretty much in the same part of the sky in the nights ahead and shifts constellations from Leo to Virgo. Venus, the brightest planet of all planets, shows up late in the month and will join Mars in the western sky in August.

Mars has distanced itself from the Earth. The planet is now more than 186 million miles away. Mars was in opposition last December and was only 88.42 million miles away.

Moon

The gibbous moon appears high in the southern sky tonight. The moon is one day past first quarter and in the zodiacal constellation Libra.

The moon’s brilliance will dominate the sky in the coming week.

On Sunday night, the moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius, as far south in the sky as it gets. Scorpius is the southernmost zodiacal constellation.

The moon is full next Friday.

M.A.L.