Astronomy Archives | Astronomy Magazine

Photograph showing the close conjunction of bright Venus with the star Regulus in Leo at dawn on October 3, 2020.

July 2026: What’s in the sky this month? Venus and Jupiter are visible in the evening, plus a conjunction of Mars and Uranus before dawn

A richly detailed telescope image of a star-forming nebula, filled with swirling clouds of blue, orange, and pink gas and dust. Dark pillars of dense dust cut through the center of the image, surrounded by glowing nebular material and hundreds of orange and yellow stars scattered throughout. A bright cluster of young stars illuminates the lower right portion of the image, casting a warm glow against the surrounding gas clouds.

RCW 36: A bird of prey sails away

Astrophotography

Reader Gallery July 2026

Tall graphic showing a dark, jagged mountain range at the bottom under a bright, star-filled night sky. A wide, colorful band of the Milky Way stretches diagonally across the frame in blues, purples, and pinks against deep blue-black space. In front, two people appear in silhouette—one bent to look through a large telescope on a tripod, the other standing and holding up a phone toward the sky.

Telescopes and Equipment

How to buy your first telescope

See it for yourself

Telescopes and Equipment

20 essential observing accessories

The best comets this century

Deep-Sky Objects, Observing

Hidden wonders of the universe

Observing, Science

July 2026: Astro Letters

Underappreciated Serpens

What’s lurking in Lynx?

Deep-Sky Objects

Wander the Queen’s starry court