Sky Tour Podcast for July 2025

This month’s episode is sponsored by Celestron, manufacturer of high-quality telescopes and an industry leader in developing exciting optical products with revolutionary technologies.
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I’m Kelly Beatty of Sky & Telescope magazine, and tonight we’re going on a tour of the stars and planets that you’ll see overhead during July. This month we’ll take the measure of Earth’s orbit; head out on a “sat-seeing” tour; take a poke at a celestial scorpion; and track down a large but virtually unknown constellation. So grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.
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Hey, it’s summertime! — at least here in the Northern Hemisphere. Long, warm days — and short, warm nights. You’d be surprised how many people think it’s hotter now because Earth is closer to the Sun. Nope, that’s not it. In fact, on July 3rd our little planet will be its farthest away — just over 94½ million miles, not the average 93 million. Instead, the reason it’s hot right now is that the Northern Hemisphere is tipped toward the Sun. And that means Earth’s bottom half is tipped away from the Sun — so right now it’s mid-winter in Australia.
True darkness is fleeting in summertime, especially at higher latitudes. Here in the Boston area, for example, the last bit of twilight lingers in the west until after 10 o’clock, leaving just 5 hours of complete darkness to revel in the star-spangled night before dawn begins to creep up in the east. At more southerly latitudes you get a bit more nighttime, but not much. So let’s make the most of the darkness we have, and to do that we’ll need to know the Moon’s whereabouts this month.
First quarter comes early, on July 2nd, followed by full Moon on the 10th. It’s traditionally called the full Buck Moon by Native Americans, because at this time of year, buck deer start to sprout a new set of antlers from their foreheads. And, because thunderstorms are common in summer months, this is also called the Full Thunder Moon. Last quarter occurs on July 17th and new Moon on the 24th. Soon thereafter the lunar crescent will edge up higher and fatter in the western sky after sunset. So your darkest evenings for stargazing will be during the last half of the month. 
Planet-wise, the pickings are slim, at least in the evening sky. As July opens, Mercury wraps up a so-so appearance very low in the west. Look for it about 30 minutes after sunset. Mars is also over in the southwest, a little easier to spot because it’s higher up at sunset. Meanwhile, Saturn is slowly migrating into the evening sky. It rises in the east before midnight, kind of all by itself underneath the Great Square of Pegasus. And if you’re really into getting up early, then go out about 45 minutes before sunrise and look toward east. You’ll behold beautiful Venus climbing into the dawn twilight, with Jupiter lurking to its lower left and very close to the horizon.
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With true night so brief this month for us northerners — and extended twilight after sunset — let’s explore how to view artificial satellites, a subject suggested by long-time Sky Tour listener Jim Slaughter in North Carolina. You’ve no doubt heard about the armada of Starlink satellites now orbiting Earth, which now total more than 7,500 and will grow to at least 12,000. We’ll tackle the Starlink system and how it impacts amateur astronomy in a later podcast. But for now, let me offer a few basics about how to spot satellites as they cross the night sky.
The best thing about a “sat-seeing” tour is that it doesn’t require any kind of equipment. All you need are your eyes and a clear, moonless evening. Go outside as soon as it’s dark enough to see stars, and then settle into something that allows you to recline comfortably. The direction you face isn’t crucial, but make sure you’re positioned to take in a wide expanse of sky. 
A satellite shines by reflected sunlight, creating a pinpoint of light in the night sky that looks like a moving star. You can see satellites after sunset or before sunrise when it’s dark on the ground but the Sun’s still shining 250 to 500 miles up, where they typically travel in orbit. From a typical suburban location, in a sky that’s not pitch black but still shows plenty of stars, you can expect to spot 10 to 20 satellites in the hour after evening twilight. Now, many hundreds more are bright enough to see by eye, but on any given night most of these aren’t traveling above your horizon at a time when they’ll catch the Sun.
To stay aloft, satellites must race along at roughly 5 miles per second, and so most circle Earth in just 1½ to 2 hours. But because they’re so high up, they don’t seem to “zip” at all. Instead, their motion looks stately and purposeful. Sweep your eyes slowly around the sky, lingering now and then in a particular area, and it won’t be long before you spot an impostor creeping among the real stars. You’ll realize right away that it’s not a meteor, because meteors streak by in a flash and then are gone. And you’ll know it’s not a high-flying jet if you don’t see any blinking lights or hear any sound.
Most satellites travel west to east, more or less, in the same general direction that they were launched into orbit. Some weather and surveillance spacecraft move north to south (or south to north) among the stars; these have special-purpose orbits that take them over the poles. The lowest and brightest satellites take 3 to 5 minutes to arc their way from one horizon to the other, whereas higher, fainter ones can linger for 10 minutes or more. Only a few actually pass anywhere near directly overhead — it’s more typical to see one, say, rise in the southwest, reach a point about halfway up toward the south, and then slide off toward the southeast. Also, during the evening, satellites look brightest after passing the halfway point in their arc, as they’re moving into the eastern sky. That’s when, from our perspective on the ground, a spacecraft’s body is most fully sunlit.
The easiest satellite to spot, by far, is the International Space Station (ISS). Its orbit is inclined, or tipped, about 52° with respect to Earth’s equator. In other words, it flies over everything between latitudes 52° north and south, making it visible to most everyone. And because it’s so big, the Space Station can appear very bright, outshining all the stars and even rivaling brilliant Jupiter or Venus.
But don’t count on spotting the Space Station the very next time you go looking. To catch sight of it, the ISS must be in the right place (somewhere above your horizon) at the right time (the hours just after sunset or before sunrise). Moreover, the ISS goes through cyclical “spells of visibility,” lasting about two months, during which it’s observable in the evening sky for a time, then before sunrise, and then not at all. 
Fortunately, starting in early July, the ISS will transition from sightings before dawn to after sunset, and by mid-July we’ll be seeing the Space Station practically every night. In fact, if you’re at a latitude of 40° or higher, you’ll have many chances to spot the ISS on two or more consecutive passes spaced about 1½ hours apart! The most popular website for tracking satellites is heavens-above.com, which offers easily customized sighting predictions for the ISS and other bright spacecraft. Trust me, nothing makes you the “star” of a summer-evening party easier than predicting when everyone can see the unmistakably bright Space Station glide overhead.
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OK, it’s time for some stargazing! After evening twilight fades, swing your gaze to the left from the sunset point, well past Mars, until you find a decently bright star about two fists high in the southwest. That’s Spica [SPEE-kuh], or sometimes called SPY-kuh, the main star in the constellation Virgo. She is lying sideways in the sky, with her head toward the right and her legs toward left. Spica is Latin for “ear of grain,” and Virgo is often depicted holding stalks of grain in her hand. 
High above Virgo is dazzling Arcturus, the alpha star for the kite-shaped constellation Boötes [Bow-OO-tays], meaning herdsman or plowman. Arcturus, which marks the kite’s tail, is the fourth-brightest star in the nighttime sky. That’s mostly because it’s relatively close by, only 37 light-years away. Arcturus means “guardian of the bear,” so called because it’s not far from Ursa Major, the Big Bear, farther north.
Now return to Spica and keep scanning to the left until you’re facing south, and you’ll encounter another star that’s about the same brightness. That’s Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. This star’s reddish hue is strikingly similar to that of Mars, and that resemblance gives the star its name. Antares means, literally, “rival of Ares,” which is the Greek name for Mars. Antares seems to have an even deeper hue because we in the Northern Hemisphere usually see it low in the sky, where the atmosphere reddens it — just as the dense air low down reddens the setting Sun. Compare the colors of Antares and Spica, which is an icy white. Can you see a difference? They’re different colors because the surface of Spica is close to 40,000° Fahrenheit. That’s more than three times hotter than Antares — or our Sun, for that matter. A sizzling summertime star, for sure.
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Perhaps more than in any other constellation, the stars of Scorpius really do look like their namesake. Let’s trace out its shape — and here’s where having a clear southern view becomes important. Antares is the heart of our scorpion. And close by, to its upper right and lower left, are two medium-bright stars representing its body. Less than one fist to Antares’ upper right are three stars marking the head. To their right, are the stars of Libra [LEE-bruh], the Balance Scales, but in ancient times these were perceived as the critter’s claws. We talked about Libra quite a bit last month, remember? 
Trailing from Antares to the lower left is a curving string of stars that form the Scorpion’s tail. They arc down and then turn upward, ending in a close-spaced pair of stars at the stinger end. These are sometimes called the Cat’s Eyes by amateur astronomers. The farther south you live in North America or Europe, the easier it is to see the whole tail and stinger.
Scorpius also harbors one of the few star clusters that can be seen easily without binoculars or a telescope. It’s just to the upper left of the stinger, spaced by about the width of your middle three fingers. This star cluster is the seventh entry in the catalog of 18th-century French astronomer Charles Messier, so it’s usually called Messier 7 or M7. But the ancient Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemy had cataloged it 1,600 years before Messier did, describing it as a “cloudy star behind the sting of the Scorpion.” So it’s sometimes known as Ptolemy’s Cluster. You might have trouble seeing M7 if your skies are awash with light pollution or summer haze, but binoculars should show it with ease and resolve it into a swarm of individual stars.
Look just to the upper left of M7 — or maybe it’s easier to look three fists to the left of Antares. This puts you in the constellation Sagittarius, the Archer. Most skywatchers don’t see someone slinging arrows here. Instead, look for a grouping of medium bright stars, about the size of your clenched fist, that trace out the shape of a Teapot. The best time for seeing this is around midnight, when the Teapot is due south and highest in the sky. Anyway, it’s tipped toward the right, as if pouring into the tail of Scorpius, with its spout at lower right and its handle at upper left. Now, just above the Teapot’s handle and a bit to the left are three stars in a flat triangle that skywatchers call the Teaspoon. This little spoon’s handle is marked by two dim stars a little to the upper left. 
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There’s one more constellation I want to show you tonight. It’s a big one, 11th in size among all 88 modern constellations. And yet you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s called Ophiuchus [OH-fee-YOU-cuss], which in ancient Greek meant “the serpent holder,” and it’s in plain sight every dark, clear evening this month.
Now, you’re not going to recognize some guy holding snakes among the stars, though apparently ancient Greek skywatchers did. None of its stars are particularly bright. Instead, my advice is to look for something kind of like a giant space capsule, with a broad bottom and pointy top. Let’s start by finding Antares in Scorpius. Now slide your gaze upward by about 1½ fists. You’re looking for three medium-bright stars that form a diagonal row, angled from upper right to lower left and about two fists across. Here’s a tip: The one at upper right is actually stars close together. This is the base of my space capsule; they also mark the Serpent Holder’s midsection.
Go above that by nearly three fists to find the capsule’s pointy top. This star is named Rasalhague 
[RAS-ul-HAY-gweh], which translates from Arabic as “head of the serpent holder.” Pretty obvious, right? Look for two more stars to this star’s lower right and left, which mark his mythical shoulders. There’s not much in between this triangle-shaped trio and the base. By the way, the constellation Serpens, the serpent, extends to the left and right of this basic shape, trying desperately to slither out of his firm grasp. As with many of these ancient constellations, to recognize Ophiuchus and Serpens you’ll have to use your imagination liberally.
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That’s about it for this month. If you want more tips for viewing the night sky, check out “Sky at a Glance” on our website, which offers great star- and planet-gazing activities on a day-by-day basis.
If you haven’t already subscribed, you can find Sky Tour on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, YouTube, or wherever you listen. And please leave a rating or review! I’d love to have other stargazers find this show. 
And if you want to explore the solar system and universe more deeply, please do check out the full line of binoculars and telescopes available at Celestron.com.
Sky Tour is a production of Sky & Telescope, a division of the American Astronomical Society, and is produced by me, Kelly Beatty.
Join me next month, when we’ll sit back and enjoy one of the very best meteor showers of the year. Until then, I wish you Clear Skies.