July's night sky brings Earth's aphelion, Buck Moon, and two meteor showers
Astronomy enthusiasts can spot Earth at its farthest orbit point on July 6, a full moon on July 29, and meteor showers peaking July 30–31.
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July brings three major astronomical events for stargazers. On July 6, Earth reaches aphelion—its farthest point from the Sun in its annual orbit, at about 152,087,775 kilometres. At perihelion (closest approach, roughly 147,099,894 kilometres), the difference amounts to 5 million kilometres. The term comes from Greek: "apo" meaning "away from" and "Helios" meaning Sun. Though aphelion and perihelion don't directly affect seasons, aphelion consistently occurs about two weeks after the summer solstice (which fell on June 21 this year).
On July 29, the Buck Moon reaches peak illumination at 10:35 AM Eastern Time. Named for male deer growing antlers in midsummer, it's also called the Thunder Moon (for summer thunderstorms), Salmon Moon, or Raspberry Moon.
July offers a rare dual meteor shower opportunity. The Southern Delta Aquariids shower runs July 18 through August 21, peaking July 30, with up to 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions (though they're more visible from the Southern Hemisphere). The Alpha Capricornids shower spans July 7 through August 15, peaking July 31, with a current rate of 2 to 9 meteors per hour. Alpha Capricornids are known for bright meteors and occasional fireballs; their dust cloud is expected to enter Earth's orbit sometime between 2220 and 2420, when the shower may become stronger than any current annual shower.
