July 2022 Guide to the Bright Planets
The planets are shifting back to the night sky by late July, so this month you’ll have the pleasure of both a morning show and night show. Find out what you can easily see in the sky with the Almanac’s Sky Watch for July 2022.
This page includes the July Sky Watch from The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac—plus more detail since space has no boundaries online!
July 2022 Sky Watch: The Night Show
- The good news is that the planets start returning to the dark night skies! As of the 4th, Saturn is rising by 11 P.M.! The ringed planet will rise a half hour earlier each week.
- And look for Jupiter in the middle of the night! Giant Jupiter, in Pisces, follows the Ringed Planet to appear low in the east after midnight.
- Mars isn’t up until the early hours but it’s gaining in visibility at a very bright magnitude 0.3, as it rises at 2 a.m. in Aries.
The Morning Show
- The summer mornings do still show Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus shining bright just before dawn. Look on the morning of Tuesday, July 26, for a lovely sight: the waning crescent moon pairs with the brightest planet Venus.
Summer Meteors
This year, the famous Perseid Meteor Shower peaks August 11 to 13. However, the full Moon will interfere. So start looking late July into early August for the shooting stars. The general rule with meteors showers is simply to avoid the Moon. See when the Moon rises and sets where you live.
See our Perseid Meteor Shower guide for more information.
Image: Summer Triangle. Credit: NASA
Stargazing for July
- July’s best constellation is the Summer Triangle, shining bright and high in the evening sky! See our free star chart and have fun spotting the Summer triangle this month!
- The Delta Aquarid meteors peak July 29 to 30. Their hourly rate at peak is 10 meteors per hour. Always look towards the darkest part of the sky to see a shooting star. See tips for viewing meteor showers.
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in other words; are u saying the Planets appear in a different Constellation at different times of year? r u saying the Astrological signs are actually Constellations; I guess the night sky is like a map with different constellations; and the planets might be in one constellation or another; interesting!!
Interestingly, the word “planet” comes from the Greek word for “wanderer.” They do indeed “wander” across the sky, however, it’s in a limited way. They move from west to east most of the time and sometimes seem to stop and move westward (retrograde motion). However, they do always stay amongst the twelve constellations of the zodiac.
Dear Bob,
These are excellent columns, but I always get them well into the month they are talking about. Would it be possible to publish each month on the first of the month or the day before? Thank you.
We will plan to publish each month’s sky watch on the first of the month.
Thank you for the sky watch .. I love it !
Thank you for this wonderful information! I look forward to it every month!
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