To spot these planets, face towards the south at about 5 a.m. Of the four gas giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn will be the easiest to spot as we can see them with the naked eye.įor the planets of Uranus and Neptune, you will need to know exactly where to look and use a very good pair of binoculars or a telescope. During these early morning hours, the four gas giant planets of our solar system will appear to be stretching across the sky. and the light of dawn will color our sky starting just before 5:30 a.m. Throughout July, the Sun will rise around 6 a.m. However, a small telescope or even a pair of binoculars will allow us to see a multitude of stars in the Milky Way band, especially on clear dark, moonless nights with little light pollution.Įarly bird stargazers will enjoy a very different perspective of the night sky. The entire Milky Way band is illuminated by the combined light of millions of stars, most of which are too far away for us to see with our naked eyes. In the early evening, when we look towards the shape of Kamakaunuiamāui, also known as Maui’s Fish hook, we see an area of the Milky Way band commonly called “the bulge,” which refers to the central regions of the Milky Way. Views of the Milky Way are spectacular during the summer months in Hawai‘i. At the same time, our summer starline, Mānaiakalani, will be rising in the eastern sky. July will be our last month this year where we can see the Southern Cross in our early evening sky. Kaiwikuamoʻo will still be stretching over our heads connecting the North Star, Hōkūpaʻa, down to the Southern Cross, Hānaiakamalama. In our early evening hours, we will be able to view two of the navigational star families utilized by modern wayfinders. Mars gets its famous red color due to the fact that the soil of Mars has largely rusted as extreme climate change, in the form of a runaway icehouse effect, on the planet caused the oceans of Mars to freeze and oxidize the soil. While Mars will be significantly fainter than Venus, it will still stand out in the sky with its distinctive reddish color. ![]() Just above Venus will be the rusty red planet Mars. Venus appears so bright as its thick atmosphere reflects much of the light that comes to the planet from the Sun. This notability has long given the planet the title “the evening star” (despite the fact that it is a planet). As Venus is so bright, it will be one of the first objects to appear through dusk. Venus will likely be the planet that is spotted first as it is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and full Moon. As the month goes on, they will continue to accompany each other as they get closer to the horizon. At the beginning of the month, Venus and Mars will appear to be close to each other above the western horizon. Two notable planets will be standing out in the early evening sky through the month of July. In Honolulu, the first Lahaina Noon of the year occurred on May 27 and the second one will occur at 12:37 p.m. Hilo’s second Lahaina Noon of the year will occur at 12:26 p.m. In Hilo, we experienced Lahaina Noon on May 18. Locations in the tropics will experience two Lahaina Noons each year with the dates depending on the latitude. ![]() When Lahaina Noon occurs, the skylight will perfectly illuminate the mosaic beneath. At ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, the mosaic "Voyage of the Navigator'' is positioned exactly under our skylight. This event can only be observed in the tropics, between the latitudes of 23 degrees South and 23 degrees North. These days are also called "zenith Sun" or "no shadow days." As the Sun is exactly overhead, anything with smooth sides (such as a soda can) will not cast a shadow in the moment that this happens. Lahaina Noon occurs when the Sun passes through the center of the sky at solar noon. In the last couple weeks of July, locations across Hawai‘i will witness an astronomical event unique to the tropics known here as Lahaina Noon. Supermoons can be up to 15% brighter than an average full Moon. This is due to the full Moon occurring while the Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth. ![]() On Monday, July 3, the full Moon will appear bigger and brighter than normal.
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