07/02/2026
What’s in the Night Sky: July 2026
TLDR; here is a graphic of stars and planets to be seen.
Long warm evenings, the return of the Milky Way, and some of the brightest stars of the year make July one of the easiest months to learn the night sky.
New Moon: July 14
Full Moon: July 29
The darkest skies will be from July 10 through July 20.
The Summer Triangle
If you only learn one thing this month, learn the Summer Triangle.
Look nearly overhead after dark and find three bright stars forming a giant triangle.
Vega in Lyra the Harp
Deneb in Cygnus the Swan
Altair in Aquila the Eagle
These stars are visible even from downtown Estes Park and become the roadmap for finding everything else.
How to Spot It:
Hold your fist at arm’s length.
The Summer Triangle is roughly four to five fists wide across the sky.
Start with Vega, the brightest and easiest star to locate overhead.
From Vega, look northeast for Deneb.
Then look south for Altair.
Congratulations. You’ve just found your first major star pattern.
The Milky Way Returns:
By 10:00 PM the Milky Way begins rising from the southeastern horizon.
By midnight it stretches from horizon to horizon across the Rockies.
The brightest section lies toward Sagittarius the Archer and Scorpius the Scorpion.
This is the direction of the center of our galaxy.
What looks like a glowing cloud is actually hundreds of billions of stars packed together.
Find Cygnus the Swan
One of the easiest constellations in July.
Look for Deneb.
From Deneb, imagine a giant cross flying through the Milky Way.
That’s Cygnus.
Many people call it the Northern Cross.
Once you see it, you’ll never miss it again.
Scorpius
Look low to the southern horizon.
Find a bright reddish-orange star.
That’s Antares.
From there, the stars curve downward like a giant fishhook.
That hook forms the tail of Scorpius.
This is one of the few constellations that actually resembles its name.
Sagittarius
Just east of Scorpius is Sagittarius.
Most people don’t see an archer.
Instead, look for a giant teapot.
Once you find the teapot, imagine steam pouring upward.
That steam points directly into the brightest section of the Milky Way.
Other Constellations Visible in July
Hercules sits high overhead and contains the famous Hercules Globular Cluster.
Bootes is found by following the handle of the Big Dipper to Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the northern sky.
Cassiopeia rises in the northeast and forms a distinctive W shape.
Ursa Major, home of the Big Dipper, remains visible all night long and helps locate Polaris, the North Star.
