Mercury is visible in the East prior to dawn during the first half of July. Maximum Western elongation occurs on July 1st.
Venus begins to appear as the evening star in July. Look for the bright planet low in the West just after sunset.
Mars continues to dim and descend into the Western horizon during July. On July 10, Mars and Saturn are within a degree of each other.
Jupiter rises about 9 pm at the beginning of June. By month's end it will rise by 7 pm. Jupiter reaches opposition on July 9th.
Saturn is low in the West at dusk. Although the planet is very low, the shadow of the planet upon its rings gives a very cool 3-D effect.
Outer Planets. Uranus and Neptune rise about 11 and 10 pm, respectively.
Pluto rises around 6 pm. It's located in Sagittarius in the heart of the Milky Way (about 2 degrees from M23), so is a tough target to pick out among the bagillions of stars. Still, it's well placed for viewing once it gets dark.
South Delta Aquarids - There are several minor showers during July. The South Delta Aquarids are the strongest peaking on July 28th. The radiant is near Delta Aquarii which lies in the Southern sky this time of the year. Best time to observe is a few hours before dawn and away from city lights.
Comet Boattini reappears in the morning sky in early July. Look to the East immediately before dawn early in the month for the best view. The comet starts the month around magnitude 5, and gradually dims to around magnitude 7 by month's end. Finder charts can be found here.
