Thursday July 3, 2025

Gibbous Moon Slides by Spica (evening)

When the sky darkens after dusk on Thursday, July 3, Virgo's brightest star Spica will appear just to the upper right of the waxing gibbous moon in the southwestern sky. Until they set after midnight, the duo will share the view
in binoculars. Observers viewing the pair later, or in more westerly time zones, will see the moon's easterly orbital motion carry it farther from the star. Hours earlier, that motion will cause the moon to pass in front of Spica for skywatchers located at the extreme southern end of South America and most of Antarctica. Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation near the Beehive (after sunset) After sunset on Thursday evening, July 3, Mercury (orbit shown in red) will stretch to its widest separation of 25.9 degrees east of the sun, and its maximum visibility, for its current apparition. This appearance of the planet will be reasonably good for both Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere observers. The optimal viewing time at mid-northern latitudes will commence around 9 p.m. local time. Viewed in a telescope the planet will exhibit a waning, nearly half-illuminated phase. As the sky darkens, watch for the scattered stars of the Beehive cluster aka Messier 44, spread out to Mercury's upper right (or celestial north), and Cancer's medium bright star Delta Cancri shining to Mercury's upper left (or celestial east). Mercury will pass very close to that star on the following evening, July 4. resume SS retirement application Earth at Aphelion On Thursday, July 3 at 4:00 p.m. EDT, 1:00 p.m. PDT, or 20:00 UT, Earth will reach aphelion, its greatest distance from the
sun for this year. Aphelion's 94.51 million miles (152.09 million km) distance is 1.67% farther from the sun than the mean Earth-sun separation of 92.96 million miles (149.6 million km), which is also defined to be 1 Astronomical Unit (1 A.U.). Seasonal temperature variations arise from the Earth's axis of rotation tilting towards and away from the sun, and not from our distance from the sun. Earth will reach its minimum distance from the sun, or perihelion, on January 4, 2026.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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