Area residents will be treated to celestial show in late July

The month of July brings on a evening show in the night sky. Mercury, Venus and Mars will be seen just after sunset in the evenings. Mercury and Venus, the two innermost planets of the solar system, will be bright. Mars will also be seen, though it will be fainter. By the end of the month, Mars will disappear. Mercury, the smallest planet, will be visible low in the western sky.

Don Wiest, Superior, explains what to look for in the sky.

Look in the western sky soon after sunset in the constellation Leo the Lion to see Mercury, Venus and Mars from the 13th (star map to the left) until the end of July. You will need a clear view of the western sky all the way to the horizon because these planets and stars set soon after the sun sets at 9 in the west. Venus is the brightest of these planets, and should be easy to spot.

The brightest star of Leo is Regulus which seems to be the “dot” at the bottom of the backward “question mark” of Leo’s “head” as you face toward the west. Venus is visible “below” Regulus, and Mars is “above and to the right” of Regulus for several nights. On the July 20 (star map to the left) the crescent moon, Mars and Venus will form a triangle near Regulus. And the planet Mercury will be to the “left” of Venus.

Mercury will move past Regulus during the next few nights until the end of the month of July. Watch as Mercury moves toward Regulus night after night until it is very near Regulus on the 28th. When it gets dark after sunset that night, start looking for Mercury and Regulus a little above the western horizon. They will set soon after the sun sets.

A great help to viewing the night sky that Wiest recommends is a free app called “Star Chart” which is available on the Apple App Store.