The Planets:
Mercury:  Look for Mercury low in the east-northeast sky at least an hour before sunrise for about the first 10 days of the month.  After that, Mercury drops into the Sun's glare.  Don't miss a conjunction of Mercury and Saturn on the morning of July 2nd.  Saturn will be to the lower left of Mercury.  Take a good look at the crescent moon rising 1 degree left of Mercury about an hour before sunrise on July 9th.

Venus:  Looking west about an hour after sunset, you will find Venus shining brightly.  Look quickly though, because Venus sets within two hours of sunset, and even less by month's end.

Mars:  Mars is very low in the west-northwest sky and very faint.  Look for a conjunction of the "red planet" with Jupiter on July 2nd and 3rd about 30 minutes after sunset.

Jupiter:  Low in the west-northwest about 30 minutes after sunset, look for Jupiter.  On July 2nd and 3rd, Mars is less than 1 degree to its upper right.  By midmonth, Jupiter is lost in the afterglow of the Sun.

Saturn:  After its conjunction with Mercury on July 2nd in the early morning east-northeast sky, Saturn will gain altitude, rising more than three hours before the Sun at month's end.

Aphelion!
Most people tend to ignore Earth's arrival at aphelion.  Remember that the orbit of the earth around the sun is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse (similar to a slightly stretched out circle), so the distance of the Earth from the Sun varies depending on its position on the orbital path.  Aphelion is the point when Earth reaches its greatest distance from the sun, which this year will be at 11 PM, July 5th, Central Daylight Time, when the Earth will be 94,507,073 miles from the Sun.

Constellations:  Apus, Ara, Corona Borealis, Draco, Hercules, Norma, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Serpens, Triangulum Australe

Looking for a Little More?  If this Skyline whets your appetite, try this website:  skymaps.com/downloads.html.  It offers a two page pdf brochure that you can print out for free.  It has a basic skymap and short lists of visual, binocular, and small telescope objects.  It is really good--check it out!

REMEMBER that the Sidewalk Astronomers will hold FREE public telescope viewing (weather permitting) on the north lawn of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History on Saturday July 20 beginning at dusk.  Come join in the fun and bring the family!
For more information about the night sky, contact the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's Noble Planetarium at (817) 255-9300 or E-mail at planet@fwmsh.org.  Compiled by FWAS members Don Garland and Linda Krouse of the Noble Planetarium, with selected editor's additions.