A group of astronomical phenomena will grace the skies of Egypt and Arab countries in July 2024, as their appearance coincides with daylight saving time, and the best places to see them are far from light pollution, such as beaches. , plains, deserts and mountains.
Head of Department of Astronomy, National Institute for Astronomical and Geophysical Research Dr. Ashraf Tadroz explains the most important astronomical events for the month of July 2024 via Facebook, which are as follows:
July 2
At dawn on July 2nd, the moon appears in the sky, the Pleiades constellation above (the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters), and Jupiter (the giant planet of the Solar System) below in a spectacular triple conjunction visible to the naked eye, and the display can be observed at 3:45 a.m. , and gradually disappear with the intensity of the morning twilight.
July 6
On July 6th, the month of Muharram is the new moon, and the moon does not appear in the sky all night because it is in conjunction with the sun, so they rise together and set together, and then the new moon is born. It emerges from its conjunction with the Sun, and the time when the Moon appears new is considered the best and favorite night for viewing faint objects such as galaxies, constellations, and stars in distant constellations. At this time moonlight does not prevent necessary astronomical observations.
On the same day, the Moon will appear in a triple conjunction with Venus (the brightest planet in the Solar System) and Gemini’s brightest star, Pollux, in a spectacular sight immediately visible to the naked eye. This day is sunset, until it gradually disappears around 8:30 pm.
July 7
On this day, the Moon’s triple conjunction with Mercury and the constellation Mercury occurs, and the Beehive constellation can be seen with the naked eye, using a small telescope, after sunset until it sets at 9:20 p.m.
July 8
On this day, Jupiter is in conjunction with the star Aldebaran (Eye of Taurus), Taurus is the brightest star before sunrise at 3:50 am and visible to the naked eye until sunset.
July 13
After sunset on this day, the moon is associated with the star Spica – the unprotected fish or spike – the brightest star in Virgo (Alpha Virgo) where they appear side by side in the sky until the scene fades with the arrival of midnight.
July 18
Shortly before sunset on this day, the moon joins the giant star Antares (Antares), which is visible to the naked eye until the scene fades at 2:20 the next morning.
July 20
On this day, Mars (the red planet) joins the Pleiades constellation (the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters) in a view visible to the naked eye at 2:15 a.m. to the east, until it is visible. The scene fades into the intensity of morning twilight due to sunrise.
July 21
The moon becomes a full disc and a full moon with 100% luminosity that is visible in the night sky until it sets with the sunrise the next morning.
July 22
This day is the best time to see and photograph Mercury because it is about 27 degrees from the Sun, and it is at its highest point in the sky after sunset on this day, long before it sets.
July 24
On this day, the sky witnesses the conjunction of the Moon with Saturn (the pearl of the Solar System) at around 10:25 PM, and the scene gradually fades as the Sun rises.
July 25
The next day, Mercury will appear in conjunction with Regulus or Leo’s heart, shortly after sunset, until the scene begins to set at about 9:5.
July 29-28
During these two days, the sky sees the appearance of the Aquarius meteor shower, and it reaches its peak on the night of July 28 and the dawn of July 29, as the number of meteors in it reaches 20 meteors per hour. , completely dark from the lights.
July 30
Just after midnight on July 30th, the scene fades into the glow of twilight as the Moon conjoins the Pleiades constellation (Pleiades or Seven Sisters) at 1:20 PM.
