01/07/2026
✨ WHAT TO SEE IN THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTH | JULY 2026 ✨
Nights are slowly getting longer, and the summer sky is packed with treats—most visible with just your eyes! Here’s what to look for from South Oxfordshire and across the UK 🌌
🔭 PLANET HIGHLIGHTS
⭐ Saturn – Rises around midnight, bright yellow‑gold, best from 1am onwards. Binoculars show its shape; a small telescope reveals its famous rings! Visible all night late‑July
⭐ Mars & Uranus – Early birds catch them low east before dawn. July 4: super close together—almost touching! July 11: thin crescent Moon joins them + Pleiades star cluster for a lovely photo op 🤩
⭐ Jupiter & Venus – Low in the dawn sky, shining bright as the morning “twin stars”
⭐ Neptune – Between Saturn and Jupiter, use binoculars/telescope to spot its faint blue glow
☁️ NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS – PEAK SEASON!
July = best month for these rare, glowing night‑shining clouds! Look north from 23:00–02:00 BST—silver‑blue ripples high above normal clouds. They glow long after sunset—pure magic before they vanish in August 📸
🌙 MOON DATES
• 10 July: New Moon – perfect dark sky for stargazing
• 17 July: Crescent Moon meets Venus & Jupiter before sunrise
• 24 July: Full Buck Moon – rises huge and orange at dusk
• 26 July: Pluto at opposition (telescope only!)
⭐ SUMMER TRIANGLE
Three bright stars: Vega, Deneb, Altair – now high in the southeast after dark. Marks the start of the best summer constellations: Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila
💫 METEORS
• Delta Aquarids – 12–13 July peak, up to 20 meteors/hour late night
• Perseids prep – building up for their big show in August!
🛰️ ISS SIGHTINGS
The International Space Station flies over regularly—bright, fast‑moving light. Use Spot the Station app for exact times for your postcode
💡 Quick tips:
✅ Let eyes adjust 10–15 mins to dark
✅ Get away from bright streetlights
✅ Binoculars make planets & clouds pop!
Tag someone you’d love to stargaze with 👇
Clear skies everyone! 🌠