Stephen Gadd
July 3rd, 2018

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‘The night I was born, the moon turned a fire red’ sang Jimi Hendrix – you can also see it in Denmark later this month (photo: pixabay/ulrikebohr570)

June saw Sankt Hans and the summer solstice, so although it is not really noticeable yet, the nights are actually drawing in.

However, it can still be worthwhile going out to look at the night sky as apart from shooting stars, a number of other astronomical events are unfolding.

Eclipse of the Moon
On July 27 there will be a full moon and, in connection with that, something special – a total lunar eclipse, reports Videnskab.dk.

The Sun, Earth and Moon will form a perfect line and the Moon will appear blood-red. The eclipse will be visible over all of Denmark – weather permitting – from around 21:19 to 23:13. In order to view it, you will have to go somewhere where there is an uninterrupted view towards the East.

Planets abound
Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, is very prominent during July and appears soon after sunset in a westerly direction. At the beginning of July it can be seen until around 02:00, whilst at the end of the month it will disappear at around 12:30.

Saturn will be visible almost the entire night in July and Venus will appear to be extra bright. It can be seen just after sunset and for about an hour more in an easterly direction.

Shining clouds at night
Given the right conditions, the first half of July can also provide a glimpse of the silver-blue clouds called noctilucent, or night shining clouds, that light up summer night skies. These occur when high-altitude clouds in the night sky are hit by light from the Sun under the horizon.

In the summer months these clouds can often be seen towards the north just after midnight.

So take advantage of the good weather, get away from the bright lights of the city and enjoy the firework display in the sky. It doesn’t cost anything!