The Sky This Week, 2010 July 20 – 27 — Naval Oceanography Portal

The late twilight of the evening sky finds the beginnings of a planetary “traffic jam” in the southwest.  Venus will be the most obvious planet as the light of early evening fades, and she is steadily closing in on ruddy Mars and gold-hued Saturn.  I happened to view Venus shortly before she set last weekend from down on the Northern Neck of Virginia.  Thanks to a flat horizon, thin clouds, and haze, the normally dazzling white planet was glowing like a single orange-red coal in a dying campfire.  She spends the week in restless pursuit of Mars and Saturn, which are gearing up for their own conjunction next week. 

The late night sky now welcomes the bright glow of Jupiter, who is doggedly rising about four minutes earlier each night.  Old Jove reaches the first stationary point in the current apparition on the night of the 23rd, pausing for a few days in his eastward motion before seeming to back up toward the west over the course of the next four months.  Late night skywatchers are now enjoying the view of the giant planet in their telescopes.  Soon he’ll be delighting even those of us with early bedtimes.

The Sky This Week, 2010 July 20 – 27 — Naval Oceanography Portal