As July approaches, nights are becoming shorter. This is
because of the Summer Solstice, which started on June 20.  Although there is less nighttime to sky
watch, a variety of astronomical happenings are still viewable in July.

This month, Marina Dunn, the UA Astronomy Club’s outreach
functionary shares some of the objects she will be on the lookout for as well
as some of her recommendations for places to sky watch.

The UA Astronomy Club is an on-campus organization where
students interested in astronomy and science can connect and work on unique
projects.

These are some of the best astronomical views in July:

-Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will still be highly visible for
most of the month.

-The constellations of Lyra, Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Hercules,
Boötes, Pegasus, Draco and Sagittarius will be up in the sky.

-The Great Globular Star Cluster, also known as M13 will be
visible in the constellation Hercules.

-The Summer Triangle, consisting of the stars Vega, Deneband
Altair will be most prominent. To find the Summer Triangle, look for the bright
blue star, Vega.

-The next full moon will be July 19 at 3:57 p.m. This moon
will be known as the Buck Moon because it marks when deer begin to grow their
antlers.

-The spacecraft Juno reached Jupiter on July 4, and began
its polar orbit around the planet.

Here are some of the best places to sky watch or learn about
sky watching in Tucson:

-Retreating to the foothills or Mount Lemmon: free. Provides
an escape from light pollution, which can obscure sky watching.

–The
Sabino Canyon Visitors Center: free. Star parties hosted by UA Astronomy
Club are the first Saturday of every month, beginning again in September.

–The
Tucson Astronomy Club: annual student membership $22. Hosting an Astronomy
Fundamentals Meeting on July 14 where amateur stargazers can learn about
astronomy equipment and talk about the constellations of the month. 

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