What’s Up in the July 2026 Skies?

July is one of those months when the night sky starts to feel unmistakably like summer.

The evenings are warm, the Milky Way is climbing higher, and some of the best binocular and telescope targets of the season are coming into view. If you’ve been waiting for a good reason to get outside with a pair of binoculars, a small telescope, or even just a comfortable chair and a star chart, July gives you plenty of reasons.

This month’s episode of the AstroGuy Podcast, What’s Up in the July 2026 Skies?, marks a new chapter for the channel. Beginning with this episode, AstroGuy is moving to one main monthly skywatching episode, with occasional extra episodes and livestreams added when time and the sky allow.

That change also comes with something new for observers, the Monthly Observing Guide.

The July 2026 guide is designed to work alongside the episode. Instead of trying to cram every chart, date, observing window, and object detail into the video, the guide gives you something you can use before you go outside, or even while you’re at the telescope. It includes the Moon phase calendar, planetary data, deep-sky targets, finder notes, and observing tips for the objects featured in the episode.

The planets offer a mix of easy sights and more challenging targets. Venus is the obvious evening standout, while several of the outer planets are better placed before sunrise. There are also a few nice Moon and planet pairings to watch for, including a beautiful pairing of the crescent Moon and Venus in the evening sky.

The Lunar Feature of the Month is Posidonius, a large, complex crater near Mare Serenitatis. This is not just a quick “find it and move on” lunar target. Posidonius rewards careful observing. Its worn rim, craterlets, uneven floor, and rilles make it a feature worth returning to on more than one night, especially as the changing Sun angle brings out different details.

Once the Moon moves out of the way, July becomes a terrific month for deep-sky observing. This episode follows a path up the summer Milky Way, beginning low in Sagittarius and moving through some of the richest star fields of the season. The tour includes globular clusters, open clusters, a bright emission nebula, a double star, a planetary nebula, and one of the easiest binocular asterisms in the sky.

That variety is what makes summer observing so much fun. Some targets are best in binoculars. Some need a telescope. Some are bright enough to enjoy from suburban skies, while others become much more impressive under darker conditions. The July guide helps sort that out so you can spend less time wondering what to look for and more time actually observing.

So, before your next clear night, watch the episode, download the July 2026 AstroGuy Observing Guide, and plan a short observing session. You don’t have to see everything in one night. Pick a few targets, give your eyes time to adjust, and enjoy the slower pace of summer skywatching.

The July 2026 skies are waiting.

Watch the episode, download the Monthly Observing Guide, and join the conversation in the AstroGuy Facebook group.

Carpe Noctem. Seize the night.