Science Watch A Crescent Moon Tour The Naked-Eye Planets As The Milky Way Appears: What To See In The Night Sky This Week Jamie Carter Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I inspire people to go stargazing, watch the Moon, enjoy the night sky New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jul 17, 2022, 08:00pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The core of the Milky Way in Sagittarius low in the south over the Frenchman River valley at . . . [+] Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan. This is from the 76 Ranch Corral site. Grasslands is a Dark Sky Preserve. The frame takes in the openj star clusters M6 and M7 just above the horizon in Scorpius, on up through the Sagittarius Starcloud and galactic core, then up past the red nebulas M8 and M20, the Small Sagittarius Starcloud M24 flanked by the clusters M23 and M25, then the nebulas M17 and M16 at top in Serpens. The globular cluster M55 is visible at far left. Jupiter is bright at right above reddish Antares, Saturn is dimmer at left, to the left of the globular cluster M22. I shot this August 27, 2019. This is a stack of 5 x 3-minute tracked exposures for the sky (to avoid star trails) blended with a stack of 5 x 3-minute untracked exposures for the ground, all with the 35mm Canon lens at f/2. 8 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII camera at ISO 1600. The tracker was the Star Adventurer. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Each Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. What To Watch For In The Night Sky This Week: July 18-24, 2022 This week it’s worth looking to the eastern horizon in the early hours to watch something spectacular—the waning crescent Moon take turns to visit the planets. After passing by Saturn last weekend it this week tracks by Jupiter, a brightening Mars and Venus, occulting the tricky-to-see Uranus on the way. Here are the star, planet and Moon-gazing highlights for the week ahead: Monday, July 18, 2022: Mars and Neptune Though only those with a large telescope will be able to see the blue-green surface of Neptune, know that the gas giant planet will today appear to be just 3º from Mars. Tuesday, July 19, 2022: Moon and Jupiter – look due south before sunrise. Stellarium Tuesday, July 19, 2022: Moon and Jupiter A 63%-illuminated Moon will be about 2° from the giant planet Jupiter in the southeastern pre-dawn sky. Put your binoculars on the “terminator”—the line between light and dark on the Moon—to see wonderful shadows projected across the lunar surface. Then put your binoculars on Jupiter and you’ll see some of its four large moons Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io. MORE FOR YOU New Research Finds A Connection Between Domestic Violence And These Two Personality Disorders This Scientist Helps Andean Forests And Ecuador’s Women In STEM Exceptional Fossil Preservation Suggests That Discovering Dinosaur DNA May Not Be Impossible Wednesday, July 20, 2022: A ‘Milky Way window’ opens and Pluto reaches opposition With the Moon reaching Last Quarter tonight, so rising way after midnight, the Milky Way’s galactic center becomes an easier sight in dark, moonless skies. Today also sees Pluto at its brightest in 2022, though the dwarf planet (and ex-ninth planet) is really hard to see in anything other than a 12-inch telescope. Even then you’d need a lot of patience. Tonight it’s at opposition, with Earth situated between it and the Sun. Consequently it’s brighter tonight (and, practically speaking, this month) than at any other time. Thursday, July 21, 2022: Moon occults Mars Stellarium Thursday, July 21, 2022: Moon occults Mars at solstice Those in northeast Asia can today see a waning crescent Moon, 42%-lit, occult Mars. From North America they will appear to be about 2º apart from—the closest Moon-planet conjunction of the month. Today also sees a solstice for Mars, with its northern hemisphere beginning winter and its southern hemisphere entering summer. Friday, July 22, 2022: Moon occults Uranus Stellarium Friday, July 22, 2022: Moon occults Uranus A 33%-lit waning gibbous Moon will this morning occult the gas giant Uranus in the pre-dawn sky, though only those in Brazil will see that. For the rest of us the two planets will appear just 0. 26° apart. Saturday, July 23, 2022: A crescent Moon and the Pleiades Stellarium Saturday, July 23, 2022: A crescent Moon and the Pleiades There’s a beautiful sight on offer for astrophotographers who can stay up until after midnight as a 24%-illuminated crescent Moon rises in the east just 3º below the stunning constellation of the Pleiades. Sunday, July 24, 2022: A crescent Moon and the planets Stellarium Sunday, July 24, 2022: A crescent Moon and the planets A 16%-lit waning crescent Moon will this morning, before sunrise, be visible between Venus and Mars, with Jupiter and a more distant Saturn also visible. Sagittarius constellation featuring the "teapot" asterism. Getty Constellation of the week: Sagittarius This is one of the best weeks of the year to check-out the vast summer constellation of Sagittarius “the Archer,” which is positioned across the densest star fields of the Milky Way galaxy. It’s also over the galaxy’s center, so while you look in the direction of Sagittarius you’re looking at galactic central point. The most interesting sight here isn’t the shape of the archer—which is pretty hard to see—but a smaller shape (stargazers call it an asterism ) called the “Teapot” (shown above, right of center). Look south. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Check out my website or some of my other work here . Jamie Carter Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.