Weather Blog: Here’s the July astronomy outlook

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - We’re moving into the second month of the summer season and with that comes your favorite summer celestial events. July is going to be a busy month for stargazers, with everything from a lunar eclipse this weekend to a double meteor shower at the end of the month. Make sure to get outside and enjoy the view!

Lunar Eclipse | July 4th 11:08 PM - July 5th 1:54 AM

We’ll start July with a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. The moon will pass through the part of Earth’s Penumbra, and becoming slightly darker in northern sections. The animation below from In-The-Sky.Org, shows the moon just grazing the Earth’s Penumbra.

Animation of the path of the Moon during the eclipse. (In-The-Sky.Org | In-The-Sky.Org)

We should have mostly clear conditions for Saturday night if you want to try to check it out. But keep in mind that since the Moon will not pass through the Earth’s Umbra it will not appear orange or red.

Diagram showing the setup for a Total Lunar Eclipse.(NASA)

Venus at its Brightest | July 8th

In just under a week Venus will appear at its brightest. It is expected to rise in the eastern sky just after 4:00 AM on July 8th. It will be the third brightest object in the sky with the Sun and Moon first and second.

Double Meteor Shower | July 29th

At the end of the month the α-Capricornid and the Southern δ-Aquariid meteor showers will both peak on the night of July 29th and the early morning hours of July 30th. Each of these showers happen throughout the month but you’ll be able to see the most meteors the night of July 29th. The best time to view both of the showers will be after 11:00 PM and before 5:00 AM on the morning of July 30th. The Moon will set just after 2:00 AM so you will have better luck to see the showers once the Moon does set. There could be up to 30 meteors visible each hour looking in the ESE sky at an angle of 40-50 degrees.