Science / Mon, 06 Jul 2026 Forbes

See The Milky Way At Its Best As Planets Glow: The Night Sky This Week

This week is ideal for finding the Milky Way with the naked eye. StellariumMID-SUMMER’S MILKY WAY WINDOWTrue darkness is still limited in July, but this week offers a rare alignment of conditions: the moon is out of the way, and the sky reaches its darkest point at a usable hour. If you’re somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map — or you’re visiting a Dark Sky Place — be outside about two hours after sunset and look toward the southeast. Slowly, a pale arc of light begins to emerge — the Milky Way, the combined light of billions of distant stars. On that date, a crescent moon appears near Venus after sunset, while on July 29, the full Buck Moon rises at sunset.

Topline

With the bright glare of the full Strawberry Moon now fading into the early morning hours, this week brings some beautiful views of both the planets and the galaxy beyond. With Earth at its farthest from the sun on July 6, Venus moves close to bright star Regulus after dark on July 9, and the waning crescent moon joins Mars before sunrise on July 11. For stargazers in North America and across mid-northern latitudes, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week, July 6-12, 2026.

This week is ideal for finding the Milky Way with the naked eye. For stargazers in North America and across mid-northern latitudes, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week, July 6-12, 2026. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/UIG via Getty Images) Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Timeline

Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point from the sun in its annual orbit, at about 94.5 million miles (152.1 million kilometers), compared with 91.3 million miles (147.1 million kilometers) at perihelion. The difference is about 3.4%. The last-quarter moon rises around midnight, leaving dark skies in the evening hours and starting the clock on July’s 12-night stargazing window. Want to camp under a star-filled sky? Go soon! Look to the west after sunset to see bright Venus shining just one degree from Regulus, the brightest star in the spring constellation Leo. Regulus is a hot, fast-spinning star around 79 light-years away. Around 4:00 a.m. local time, look low toward the east-northeast for a 13%-lit waning crescent moon close to Mars and Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, with the beautiful Pleiades open cluster of stars sparkling nearby. Manhattanhenge occurs at sunset in New York City, with the sun aligning with the street grid. Saturday sees the full sun alignment at 8:20 p.m. EDT, with the half sun alignment on Sunday at 8:21 p.m. EDT.

Around 4:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 11, look low toward the east-northeast for a 13%-lit waning crescent moon close to Mars and Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, with the beautiful Pleiades open cluster of stars sparkling nearby. Stellarium

MID-SUMMER’S MILKY WAY WINDOW

True darkness is still limited in July, but this week offers a rare alignment of conditions: the moon is out of the way, and the sky reaches its darkest point at a usable hour. If you’re somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map — or you’re visiting a Dark Sky Place — be outside about two hours after sunset and look toward the southeast. Allow your eyes 15-20 minutes to adapt. Slowly, a pale arc of light begins to emerge — the Milky Way, the combined light of billions of distant stars.

Constellation Of The Week: Aquila

It’s one of the easiest constellations to find in the night sky at this time of year — high in the east right after dark — but Aquila, the Eagle, is little known. It’s anchored by Altair, the southernmost star of the three stars in the vast Summer Triangle. Unlike Vega and Deneb, Altair is flanked by two fainter stars, creating a distinctive straight-line pattern. Altair is relatively close — just 17 light-years away — and rotates extremely rapidly, completing a full rotation in about 10 hours. This causes it to bulge at the equator. So when you look at Altair, you’re seeing a star behaving very differently from the sun. It’s a reminder that stars are not all like the sun — far from it!

What’s Next In The Night Sky

On July 14, the new moon brings the darkest skies of the month, just in time for the beginning of the annual Perseid meteor shower on July 17. On that date, a crescent moon appears near Venus after sunset, while on July 29, the full Buck Moon rises at sunset.

The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.