Poster production: Feng Juan
"Star Theater" has released the "program list" for July! The Pleiades star cluster with the moon, the smallest sun of the year, Mars conjunct Uranus, Mercury's eastern elongation, Pluto's opposition, the lunar occultation of Saturn, and the southern meteor shower of the Aquariids δ the largest are finalized, waiting for you to see.
This is the Pleiades accompanied by the moon taken on June 26, 2022 in Haidao, Hami City, Xinjiang. (Photo by Star Photographer Dai Jianfeng)
Before dawn on July 3, a waning moon will rise in the northeastern sky along with the famous Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus. As long as the weather is fine, the interested public will be able to see the two different celestial bodies "reunited" up close.
On July 5, the youngest sun of the year will appear in the sky. "At 13 o'clock Beijing time, the Earth will pass aphelion, which is the farthest time of the year when the Earth is from the Sun. At this time, the apparent diameter of the Sun is the smallest of the year, which is the 'smallest sun'. Song Yuanyuan, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an expert in astronomical science popularization at the Tianjin Science and Technology Museum, said.
On July 15, Mars, two planets in the solar system, and Uranus "conjunct", and the two are in close proximity, staging "stars attract".
Mercury's greatest eastern elongation on January 7, 2022. This is Mercury photographed in the Dongli District of Tianjin on the evening of January 4, on the eve of the Eastern Elongation. (Photo by starry sky photographer Yang Jing)
On July 22, Mercury will have its second greatest eastern elongation of the year. "The observation conditions at the large distance are better. If the atmosphere is clear enough, interested members of the public can try to find the closest planet to the Sun in the northwest sky 30 to 50 minutes after sunset, with the naked eye or with the help of telescopes. Song Yuanyuan said.
On July 24, the dwarf planet Pluto will reach opposition. "Around that day, as soon as the sun sets every day, Pluto rises over the eastern horizon and is visible almost all night. In the meantime, interested astronomy enthusiasts can choose a sunny day and try to observe this mysterious planet with the help of astronomical telescopes. Song Yuanyuan said.
This is a photo of Pluto taken by the American New Horizons probe (detail). (Source: NASA official website)
In the early morning of July 25, Tianyu will stage an interesting celestial phenomenon - the lunar occultation of Saturn. The conditions for observing Saturn on the lunar occultation are very good, and the occultation runs through most of the continent, so the interested public should not miss it.
Before dawn on July 30, the Moon will return to Taurus to accompany the Pleiades. "This time it is more suitable for public observation on the mainland than the one on July 3." Song Yuanyuan said.
This is the Pleiades Companion Moon taken on May 2, 2022 at Guanshan Ranch in Longxian County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. (Photo by Star Photographer Wang Tianwei)
In the summer night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, meteor showers may occasionally be late, but they are never absent. During the day on July 31, the Southern δ Aquariids, also known as the Southern Aquariids, will usher in δ maximum. Although the flow of the meteor shower is not large, the radiant will rise after dark, and friends who like meteor showers can choose to observe it on the night of the 30th and 31st.
Curator: Liu Xinhui
Reporter: Zhou Runjian
Editor: Zhu Shun
Jointly produced by Xinhua News Agency and Xinhua News Agency Tianjin Branch
Produced by Star Studios