July 2020 offers you all 5 bright planets. Venus is that very bright object lighting the east before sunrise. After mid-July, find Mercury below Venus. Jupiter and Saturn are the planets to watch in July 2020. They are close together on the sky’s dome, and both reach opposition this month. Thus they’re at their best, up nearly all night, all month. Mars is looking very red now, steadily brightening, out between midnight and dawn.

Even as a penumbral eclipse is happening in your sky, you might not notice anything different about the moon. On the other hand, very observant people can detect a dark shading on the moon’s face during a penumbral eclipse.

Although the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice – and longest day – happened a few days ago, the latest twilight at 40 degrees north latitude always follows by several days. Expect the longest northern twilight on or near June 24.

On the heels of the June solstice, the new moon will sweep directly in front of the sun on Sunday, June 21, 2020, to stage an annular – ring of fire – solar eclipse for the world’s Eastern Hemisphere.

Let your eyes and imagination drift to see the entire winding shape of Draco the Dragon. Also, meet Thuban, a pole star when the Egyptians were building the pyramids. 

Mars has been inconspicuous in our predawn sky for some months. It’s slowly gotten brighter and redder. Now the drama is about to begin! By October, Mars will outshine Jupiter! Start watching it now, and enjoy the fun.

Opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see a planet … but why?

When the lunar nodes pointed directly at the sun on June 20, 2020, the event marked the middle of the eclipse season. Shortly thereafter, an annular eclipse of the sun took place on June 21, 2020.

The best time of 2020 for seeing Saturn’s glorious rings is nearly upon us. You’ve seen the photos, but maybe you want to see the rings with your own eyes? Here are a few things to think about.

Watch for the moon, Jupiter and Saturn around June 7, 2020. The moon is very bright now, so Jupiter and Saturn are specks in its glare. Jupiter is a brighter speck than Saturn.