Planets, meteor shower, and a Buck Moon: Astronomical events for July 2026

Time to check the month for some astronomical events.Though July has been hot and stormy so far, hopefully we’ll get some clear, cool summer nights for some stargazing here soon. There will be chances to sneak a peek at some nearby planets, a long stretch of a meteor shower, and a full Buck Moon to finish off the month.Video above: Nimanmuya or Going Home Moon, aka Buck Moon, rises above the Grand CanyonRead below for the full list of astronomical events in July.All month — Mars, Saturn (morning)Mars and Saturn will both be visible in the southeast part of the sky throughout the month. Even though Saturn is much further away, it is bigger and will appear brighter than Mars as you look for them.All month — Venus (evening)Venus will be visible in the evening sky looking West throughout the month, as it rises further each evening.July 14 — New moonWhile the new moon in mid-July won’t be visible, a moonless night is always a good time for stargazing. Since there will be no sunlight bouncing off the moon’s surface in the night sky, you’ll be able to see even more stars and constellations than on a usual night.July 18 — Southern Delta Aquarids beginThis midsummer meteor shower runs from July 18 to August 21. While the Southern Delta Aquarids don’t necessarily have a standard peak evening, they will possibly be at their strongest on the evening of July 30, according to EarthSky.org. The meteor shower’s radiant — or originating point in the sky — is the constellation Aquarius, specifically the system Delta Aquarii, aka Skat. According to NASA, the meteor shower comes from the dust and debris of the comet 96P/Macholz, which orbits the Sun once every five years.To view the faint Aquarids, find a spot away from city lights and look up between late evening and dawn. It will take your eyes around 30 minutes to adjust to the night sky, at which point you should start spotting meteors. You should be able to see 15-20 meteors an hour on a good, clear night. If you wait until August, you’ll also be able to see the Aquarids overlap with the Perseids in the night sky.July 29 — Buck MoonThe full moon falls at the end of the month once again. Now that we are squarely in summer, it’s time for the Buck Moon of late July. It is so named in North America because this time of summer is when white-tailed deer rapidly regrow their antlers. Though the name Buck Moon is often claimed to be from the Algonquin Native American tribe, the modern use of the name may actually trace to North American explorer Jonathan Carver’s 1778 book “Travels through the interior parts of North-America in the years 1766, 1767, and 1768.” Carver cited the names for his original list of monthly moons to an unspecified “Indian” tribe.Other Indigenous names for the moon include Midsummer Moon (Kalapuya, Ponca), the Hot Moon (Comanche), the Salmon Moon (Haida, Tlingit, Wishram), the Moon When Squash Are Ripe (Algonquin), and the Going Home Moon (Hopi). It is sometimes also referred to as the Thunder Moon, after summer thunderstorms. The Celtic name for the July Moon is the Horse Moon.The Buck Moon should be visible on July 29 and reach its peak at 10:35 a.m. EST, according to timeanddate.com.