What does the sky tell us? What do we see at night beneath the celestial dome? Here are some insights into this July sky, provided by Emile Bidoux and Tropical Sky
“In July, the Moon and Saturn will put on a show in the sky.
1 – Saturn, On July 9, the “ringed planet” will be in opposition to the Sun, making it visible all night long. On the night of July 15–16, it will come very close to the fully illuminated lunar disk, skimming past it at a very close distance around 3 a.m. on the 16th.
A few days after the opposition, we’ll be able to witness a very close approach between the Moon and Saturn. It will occur on the night of July 15–16, around 3:00 a.m. The planet will graze the fully illuminated lunar disk, as the full moon will occur a few hours later..
Saturn is a gas giant with a diameter of 120,600 km, or 10 times that of Earth. Its density is so low that it would float on an ocean of water. It is famous for its rings, discovered by Galileo in 1610; the north face of the rings is clearly visible right now because, as seen from Earth, they are tilted at an angle of 24°. In 2025, the plane of the rings will be aligned with Earth, and they will appear to have disappeared.
Lunar Eclipse on July 16, 2019.
After observing the sky early in the morning, we can turn our gaze eastward at sunset to watch the full moon rise. A lunar eclipse will have begun at 4:00 p.m., and its end will be only very partially visible—and difficult to observe—in Martinique.
In fact, our natural satellite rises around 6:40 p.m., less than half an hour before the end of the eclipse caused by the shadow, which will occur at 7:00 p.m.; at that time, it will be 6° above the horizon.
The Moon will not yet be at its brightest at 7:00 p.m. We will have to wait until 8:19 p.m. for our satellite to regain its full brightness after emerging from the penumbra.
”The next lunar eclipse visible in Martinique will take place on November 19, 2021. It will be only a partial eclipse."
