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July 6: Catch the sparkling Coma Star Cluster
Last Quarter Moon occurs at 3:29 P.M. EDT. The Moon then passes 7° north of Saturn at 6 P.M. EDT.
You can catch this pairing before then, visible in the early-morning sky. An hour before sunrise, the Moon stands high in the southeast, to the upper right of magnitude 0.7 Saturn. The ringed planet is easily visible to the naked eye. To the Moon’s lower right is Neptune, although this distant world is invisible without optical aid. Using binoculars or a telescope, look for Neptune about 7° southwest of the Moon, or 10° west of Saturn (the latter is the more reliable guide, as the Moon moves through our sky relatively quickly). You may need to try viewing the magnitude 7.7 ice giant even earlier in the morning, when the sky will be darker and provide better contrast for its faint light.
Neptune reaches a stationary point at midnight EDT in the constellation Pisces, bringing its eastward (prograde) motion to a halt. After today, the ice giant will turn and begin moving to the west, taking a retrograde path.
Sunrise: 5:39 A.M.
Sunset: 8:31 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:03 A.M.
Moonset: 1:18 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (47%)
*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.
