🔭 Astronomical Events July 13 – 19, 2026
🔭 Astronomical Events
July 13 – 19, 2026
Written by Mia Astrology ✨🌌
The middle of July brings one of the strongest dark-sky observing windows of the summer, beginning with the New Moon and ending with a slim crescent Moon appearing beside brilliant Venus in the evening twilight.
The Moon reaches its New Moon phase on July 14, leaving the night almost completely free from moonlight and creating excellent conditions for viewing the Milky Way, faint nebulae, globular clusters and the first gradually increasing Southern Delta Aquariid meteors.
Later in the week, the young Moon returns to the western evening sky, passes extremely close to Regulus on July 16 and then forms a beautiful pairing with Venus on July 17. Saturn and Mars remain visible before sunrise, while Venus continues to dominate the western sky after sunset.
This is the kind of week that rewards both serious observers and anyone who simply enjoys standing outside beneath a genuinely dark summer sky.
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🌙 Major Astronomical Highlight
🌑 New Moon Creates the Darkest Skies of July
The Moon reaches its New Moon phase on July 14, 2026, at approximately 09:43 UTC.
During a New Moon, the Moon lies close to the Sun in the sky, with its illuminated side facing away from Earth. It is therefore hidden in daylight and adds almost no moonlight to the night sky.
That means:
• Exceptionally dark evening skies
• Excellent Milky Way visibility
• Improved deep-sky observing
• Better meteor visibility
• Ideal astrophotography conditions
• Easier views of faint nebulae and star clusters
⭐ Best observing nights: July 13–15
These are some of the darkest and most rewarding observing nights of the entire month, particularly from rural locations far from artificial light.
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🌙 Moon Phase This Week
🌑 New Moon → 🌒 Waxing Crescent
July 13
The Moon is an extremely thin waning crescent approaching New Moon.
It rises shortly before sunrise and will be very difficult to see through the bright morning twilight.
July 14
🌑 New Moon
The Moon is hidden in the Sun’s glare, leaving the evening and night almost completely moon-free.
This is the best deep-sky observing night of the week.
July 15–16