This month is excellent for finding the five planets which we can see with the naked eye. Mercury and Venus are in the sky soon after sunset and then start to disappear. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible later and if the sky is clear, they are very easy to see. Mars is the red planet. Venus is the brightest. Neptune and Uranus are visible early morning.
One advantage of winter is that children don’t have to wait up till late evening to see the night sky. Some parts of New Zealand are clear and frosty which creates ideal viewing for stars and planets. Of course, it is cold.
Many cities have a local astronomical society which has telescopes. Some societies have an open night for visitors, especially during this school holiday week.
Very early morning on July 28th from about 5.15am, we can watch a lunar eclipse. This is a long eclipse and will take around two and a half hours. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun from shining on the moon. Instead the moon is in shadow.
This website gives more information.
Vocabulary
• The naked eye – without using a telescope
• visible (adj), visibility (n) – easy to see
• ideal (adj) – the best
• astronomy (n), astronomical (adj)
• lunar (adj) – moon (compare solar – sun)