Scientist-astronaut Gene Cernan is shown standing next to a large split lunar boulder during the Apollo 17 mission. The Lunar Roving Vehicle is parked on the right side of the boulder. Take a look at the moon with binoculars or a small telescope this month – it’s amazing what you can see. Courtesy NASA, Eugene Cernan

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge”

— Carl Sagan, 1934-1996

Approximately 30 minutes after sunset this month, use binoculars to view faint Mercury low to the west-northwest horizon. On the evening of July 25th, the bright star Regulus will shine just above Mercury, with the crescent moon to the upper left. Regulus is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is actually a four star system consisting of two binary pairs with the main star, Regulus A, a blue-white star in the main sequence.

As July begins, brilliant Venus will rise in the east a couple of hours before the sun, moving higher in the sky throughout the month. Besides having the longest rotation period of any planet in the solar system, Venus rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets. In the predawn eastern sky on July 20th, Venus and the nearby waning crescent moon will make a beautiful pair in binoculars.

Mars cannot be seen this month since it is behind the sun in relation to Earth and won’t be visible until fall. It will put on a great show next year, when it will be the closest to Earth since 2003.

Huge Jupiter shines very brightly as the evening sky darkens. Look for it quite low in the southwest. Throughout the month it will continue to fade in brightness as its size diminishes, following its opposition in April. On the evening of July 1st, Jupiter will form a triangle with the waxing gibbous moon and the blue giant star Spica.

Incredible Saturn glows in the southeast sky as evening twilight darkens. Through a telescope, the ring system is now tilted 26.7 degrees, nearly the greatest possible angle. This presents a truly spectacular sight. On July 6th, a nearly full moon will appear just above Saturn.

Editor’s note: This monthly guide to the stars is from the Marshall Martz Memorial Astronomical Association and the Post -Journal. For further information, contact the M.M.M.A.A. at http://www.martzobservatory.org