Moon conjunction with Scorpio on the 17th
Our celestial companion is 85 percent illuminated this evening, and less than half a degree above is the bright red giant star. Around 10 p.m., the pair will be 15 degrees high in the southern sky, which means you'll have to look very low, but it gives you a chance to capture them in the landscape. The moon won't set until 2:30 p.m., so there will be plenty of time to capture the pair. However, due to the moon's high brightness, the recording won't be spectacular.
Full Moon on the 21st
We can observe the full moon in July in a lucky position, because it rises only about three-quarters of an hour after sunset, that is, on a rather beautiful dark horizon. If the sky is clear and the almost constant arrival of Saharan dust this year does not spoil the view, we can photograph a very beautiful moonrise this evening.
The light of the full moon is scattered in the desert dust above Lake Balaton. On this evening, the moonrise was very “dark”, and the moon disk can only be seen with the naked eye at an altitude of about 2 degrees.
Source: Monica Landi Gibnar
As experienced observers know, the full moon in summer is always low in the southern sky, and even at midnight it rarely reaches 20 degrees on its way. If we have to deal with the “gift” of the desert again, we should also be prepared for the fact that the moon becomes visible only slowly, and can remain hidden in a thick layer of dust up to 1-2 degrees high. Therefore, if we shoot a moonrise with some elements of the landscape, it is worth taking this into account based on the current situation.
The moonrise time at our eastern borders will be 20:58, 21:10 in Budapest, and 21:19 at our western borders.
Moon and Saturn conjunction on the 24th
The pair will rise late at night, after 10 p.m., and will be seen at a distance of just over half a degree at that time. The Moon will be 84% illuminated, so due to its fairly strong light – similar to the previous Antares conjunction – the conjunction won't be very clear now either. Saturn is slightly brighter than Antares at the moment, but the difference is small. The two celestial bodies will be 3 degrees apart at dawn, so they're best photographed in the evening.
Moon conjunction with the fairy on the 30th day, with additions
Before dawn on the 30th, it will be useful to marvel at the beauty of the sky!
Source: Stellarium
The Moon and Virgo will be just 29 percent apart, barely half a degree apart, and the pair will rise just after midnight. This combination will be beautiful in itself, but it’s also worth paying attention to a bit more of the sky. Mars will shine 5.5 degrees below the Moon, 7 degrees to its left, and just below the very bright Jupiter. We can also image Uranus 6 degrees to the right of the Moon (not visible to the naked eye, i.e. only in a very clear, dark sky and for people with excellent eyesight). Not far above the horizon, the brightest star will also be Taurus, the star of the Bull.
It is worth photographing the conjunction around 2 p.m., when the entire group of celestial bodies can be seen in all their beauty in the dark sky.
If you want to watch meteors, the night of the 30th is the best.
The radiating points of the swarms are active in late July.
Source: Stellarium
At the end of July, there are already some Perseids (fast), but this is when the southern Aquariids (medium) and Capricornids (slow) are also peaking. Since there is not much moonlight to disturb observation, it may be worth spending the night of the 30th – if the weather is good – outside.
The swarms that reach their maximum on this night don't produce very many meteors, and their radiance is also low, so fewer of them reach our skies. However, the fact that there are several swarms active at this time, often producing bright meteors, makes them worth watching for. In a place with a dark enough sky, we should probably see 6-7 meteors per hour, but if we're lucky, we'll see more than that. In addition to these three major areas, there are also other areas where 1-2 meteors may arrive.
None of them produce a narrow maximum, which means we can see a similar number of beautiful meteors both the night before and the night after. What makes the night of the 30th worth choosing is that the beautiful conjunction at dawn also enhances the astronomical enjoyment.
Conjunction of the crescent moon and Jupiter on the 31st
Jupiter Ascendant (right, above the trees) on July 7 – It rises an hour before the snow ends, so we can still photograph the conjunction in a relatively dark sky.
Source: Monica Landi Gibnar
We can expect a very similar situation to what we saw on the 30th, but the Moon will be only 20 percent illuminated. This could make for a more beautiful view, with Jupiter shining 4 degrees to the right.
So it might be worth spending the last dawn of the month outdoors. The Moon rises around 1 a.m., and Jupiter rises about half an hour later, so after that we should aim our eyes or camera toward the eastern and northeastern sky. In this kind of moonlight, we can actually see the Milky Way streaking across the sky at its zenith toward dawn.
