Night Sky Tonight: Guide to stargazing in July 2026

In this guide we'll reveal what you can see in the night sky tonight, and throughout the month.

Our guide is centred around what's visible from the UK, but all northern hemisphere observers should be able to use it, with the odd adjustment to stated times.

July 2026 astronomy highlights

• All month: Noctilucent cloud season
• 9 July: Venus lies close to Regulus (evening)
• 11 July: A Thin waning Moon lies close to the Pleiades at moonrise (01:30 BST (00:30 UT))
• 17 July: A 15%-lit waxing crescent Moon lies near Venus (evening)
• 21 July: The Lunar X and V are visible around sunset

In our guide, we use Universal Time (UT) and British Summer Time (BST). UT is the standard time used by astronomers around the world. BST is one hour ahead of UT.

We also use RA (Right ascension)and dec. (declination).

These coordinates are the night sky’s equivalent of longitude and latitude, describing where an object is on the celestial ‘globe’.

For help with these, read our guide to celestial coordinates.

If you're south of the equator, find out what you can see in the Southern Hemisphere night sky tonight.

Family stargazing tip for July 2026

NLC hunting is popular at this time of year and a sight available to anybody, as noctilucent clouds can be seen with just the naked eye. The only problem is the anti-social hours they keep!

If visible, they may be seen 90–120 minutes after sunset low above the northwest horizon, or a similar time before sunrise, low in the northeast. Some days will be lost due to poor weather, though, so the number of late nights and early mornings needn’t be excessive.

NLCs also make great targets to record with a smartphone.

July is close enough to the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice that its sky conditions are a mirror of those encountered in June.

Short, not particularly dark nights are the theme this month, but at least increasing in length.

Noctilucent clouds

This is the second half of noctilucent cloud (NLC) season. If present, these night shining clouds may typically be seen 90-120 minutes after sunset, low above the northwest horizon, or a similar time before sunrise, low above the northeast horizon.

There are no guarantees they will be visible. Bear in mind that a good show on one night doesn’t mean they will be seen on the following night.

There were a few decent displays in 2025, but it wasn’t a solid year for NLCs.

Comets and asteroids

This month gives us a reasonably bright comet to observe.

The term reasonably bright when applied to comets may not mean what you think it means.

A reasonably bright comet being one that can be seen using binoculars.

Comet 10P/Tempel 2 will approach eighth magnitude this month and is fairly well-placed for viewing. 

Asteroids get a look in during July with 3 Juno reaching opposition in Aquila.

Peaking at mag. +9.1 you’ll need a small telescope to see it, but keeping track of this major body in the main asteroid belt will keep you occupied throughout most of July.

Pluto

Demoted planet Pluto – now classed as a dwarf planet – also reaches opposition this month on 26 August.

On this date it shines at mag. +14.4 and can be found in Capricornus. If mag. +14.4 sounds dim, it is.

However, devices like the current raft of smart telescopes should have no problem taking a shot of this dwarf planet. In addition, they make finding Pluto a trivial exercise.

Meteor shower

A bright full Moon causes issues with the darkening night sky towards the end of July.

This is also the time when the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower reaches its peak, the Moon spoiling this year’s show.

However, a badly timed Moon for the Southern Delta Aquariids means the Perseid peak in the middle of next month will be good and dark.

Constellations

Despite a lack of true darkness, the main constellations and asterisms stand out well, bereft of the fainter stars which can often cause confusion with them.

Deneb (Alpha (α) Cygni) marks the northeast (top-left) vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism.

It also marks the northern tip of a large cruciform shape known as the Northern Cross.

This is part of Cygnus, the Swan, and represents the bird’s body, wing-stubs and long neck.

The Milky Way flows down the vertical of the cross, although the lack of true darkness hides its presence.

Identifying the Northern Cross will put you in good stead for later in the year when the skies get darker.

From a dark sky location, the Milky Way does become visible again towards the end of the month.

Follow the direction the Summer Triangle appears to point at towards the horizon.

Look to the west (right) of this location and with luck, dark and clear skies, you should be able to see the outline of a teapot, this being the famous Teapot asterism, which is part of Sagittarius.

Using binoculars, take a look at the region where the steam would be rising out of the pot’s spout.

This is towards the centre of our galaxy and is an area of sky littered with bright nebulae, rich open clusters and dense globular clusters.  

Planets

Read our month-by-month guide to visible planets for the whole year

• Mercury: Visible in Gemini in the east-northeast. After 12 July, Mercury becomes a morning planet, best seen before sunrise
• Venus: Visible in Leo in the west, 45 minutes after sunset. Best seen 1 July
• Mars: Visible in Taurus in the east-northeast. A morning planet, best seen on 31 July before sunrise
• Jupiter: Too close to the Sun to observe in July
• Saturn: Visible in Pisces in the southeast in the early hours before sunset. Best seen 31 July.
• Uranus: Visible in Taurus in the east after midnight.
• Neptune: Visible in Pisces in the southeast after midnight. A morning planet improving throughout the month

Night sky in July 2026, night-by-night

All month

Keep a lookout for beautiful noctilucent cloud displays (NLCs).

Wednesday 1 July

The almost full Moon visible in the early hours will sit just to the east of the Teapot asterism in Sagittarius. This particular Moon will be quite low, reaching a peak altitude below 12° as seen from the centre of the UK.

Monday 6 July

Earth reaches a point in its orbit known as aphelion at 18:30 BST (17:30 UT). In this position, our planet is at its farthest from the Sun for the year – a distance of 152,087,774km. At perihelion (closest to the Sun) on 3 January, we were 147,099,894km away. 

Wednesday 8 July

At 01:15 BST (00:15 UT) this morning, the 47%-lit waning crescent Moon sits 6.7° north of mag. +0.6 Saturn.

Thursday 9 July

This morning and tomorrow morning give a view of the Moon’s Mare Orientale region, tilted towards Earth due to favourable libration. 

At 22:40 BST (21:40 UT), Venus is 1.2° north of Regulus.

Saturday 11 July

At 02:00 BST (01:00 UT), the 16%-lit waning crescent Moon sits just east of the Pleiades open cluster, low above the northeast horizon.

Mag. +1.3 Mars will appear 7° southeast of the Moon and 5.5° north of mag. +0.8 Aldebaran (Alpha (α) Tauri).

Sunday 12 July

See if you can spot star Omicron (ο) Cygni – a star system that offers you the chance of a free eye test!

Tuesday 14 July

New Moon is at 10:43 BST (09:43 UT) this morning. This evening at around 21:30 BST (20:30 UT), an ultra-thin 0.2%-lit crescent Moon sits above the northwest horizon – technically just below the theoretical limit of visibility, 6.2° from the Sun. 

Friday 17 July

At 22:30 BST (21:30 UT) tonight, a 15%-lit waxing crescent Moon sits 2.4° southeast of mag. –4.0 Venus.

Sunday 19 July

With the Moon out of the way around midnight, this is a great time to scan above the southern horizon with binoculars to locate some of the amazing clusters and nebulae near the Teapot asterism in Sagittarius. 

Monday 20 July

Take a deep-sky tour of at objects around northern Scutum, including the wonderful Wild Duck Cluster, M11.

Tuesday 21 July

The popular Lunar X and V clair-obscur effects are visible this evening at around 20:00 BST (19:00 UT).

Wednesday 22 July

Mag. +7.8 comet 10P/Tempel is just 15 arcminutes southwest of mag. +4.3 Epsilon (ε) Capricorni at 01:00 BST (00:00 UT) today. 

Friday 24 July

This evening, the red supergiant Antares (Alpha (α) Scorpii) is 1.5° north of the 80%-lit waxing gibbous Moon. 

Sunday 26 July

After the Moon has set, the southern UK will experience truly dark skies again. Those with little light pollution should now see the bright summer Milky Way. For those further north, you’ll need to wait a little longer.

Monday 27 July

Minor planet 3 Juno is at opposition in the constellation of Aquila. At opposition its magnitude increases to +9.1.

Tuesday 28 July

The annual Delta Aquariid meteor shower reaches highest activity this evening. A bright Moon will heavily interfere with this year’s peak. 

FAQs

What time is best for stargazing tonight?

It might sound obvious, but the best time for stargazing is when it's properly dark! That means when the Sun has truly set and the sky is at its darkest.

Having said that, not all objects visible in the sky tonight will be visible for the whole night. You might want to observe a planet that's visible at the moment, only to find it sets shortly after the Sun.

Or you might be looking for the Moon at a time when it's below the horizon.

A good stargazing app will help you decide what you want to observe in the night sky tonight, where and when to look.

Do I need a telescope?

You don't need a telescope to get a good view of the night sky, and this is especially the case for beginners. If you have a clear night and a dark sky free from light pollution, there's a lot you can see.

Bright stars and constellations, bright planets, meteor showers and even distant star clusters can be seen with the naked eye.

Binoculars will get you a closer look at these objects, and you'd be surprised at what even a modest pair can do for your view of the night sky.

A telescope, however, takes things to the next level, giving you amazing detail on the surface of the Solar System planets and the Moon, and revealing objects that would be invisible to the naked eye.

What if it's cloudy tonight?

Keep an eye on the weather forecast; it may be due to clear later on in the evening. If you really are facing a night of clouds, however, there's not much you can do.

You could stay indoors instead and plan for future stargazing sessions. Take a look at the weather forecast for the coming week. Work out when you've got the best chance of having a clear sky and plan what you might want to observe in advance.

That way, when a clear night rolls around, you'll have a plan of action and will be able to get your stargazing underway much more quickly.

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