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July 8: Asteroid Melpomene at opposition
Venus passes 1.1° north of Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion, at 10 A.M. EDT. The pair is visible after sunset this evening, when they are still close as they slowly set in the western sky.
An hour after sunset, both should be visible, with brighter magnitude –4.1 Venus just above magnitude 1.4 Regulus. This star not only marks the heart of Leo the Lion, but also the base of the easy-to-find Sickle asterism, which looks like its eponymous farm instrument — or, alternatively, like a backward question mark in the sky. As the sky darkens, the stars of this pattern should appear, stretching to the upper right of Regulus in the sky.
Sunrise: 5:40 A.M.
Sunset: 8:30 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:56 A.M.
Moonset: 3:44 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (25%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 10 P.M. local time from the same location.
Alison Klesman is senior editor of Astronomy magazine. She holds a Ph.D. in astronomy and has studied a variety of topics, from minor planets to supermassive black holes.
