Astronomy

🌌 Night Sky This Week: Through July 31, 2026

Summer is in full swing, and so is the night sky this week! This is one of my favorite times of year to spend a few quiet minutes outside after sunset. If you can battle the mosquitoes for a little while, grab a lawn chair, lean back, and enjoy the show. Plenty is happening overhead this week.

🌙 Evening Highlights

Two deer silhouettes stand in grass before a giant full moon under a starry night sky.

Friday brings the Full Buck Moon, named for the time of year when bucks begin growing their new antlers. Watch for the moon to rise about 20 minutes after sunset—it’s always a beautiful sight as it climbs above the horizon.

Venus is still the star of the evening sky. It’s so bright that it’s often the first “star” you’ll notice as twilight fades. Just look toward the western horizon after sunset, and you really can’t miss it. Planets shine with a steady light, while stars twinkle. This week, compare steady Venus or Saturn with the twinkling stars nearby, and you’ll immediately notice the difference.

🌅 Early Morning Sky

If you’re willing to get up before sunrise, the morning sky has a lot to offer this week.

Star map of the night sky with Moon, Deneb Algedi, Fomalhaut and constellation labels; July 31, 1 A.M., looking south.

Thursday and Friday feature the peaks of two meteor showers, the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquariids. The bright moon will wash out many of the fainter meteors, but you should still catch around 5 to 25 brighter meteors per hour, especially after midnight.

Dawn sky with labeled Mars, Betelgeuse, and Mercury above a dark horizon; July 31, 1 hour before sunrise, looking east.

Mercury is making a brief appearance low in the eastern sky about an hour before sunrise. It will brighten as the week goes on, but because it stays close to the horizon, a pair of binoculars will make it much easier to spot.

Starry southeast sky chart with labels Hamal, Saturn, Diphda, and Fomalhaut; text says July 27, 3 A.M. Looking southeast

Saturn rises around midnight and shines with a steady golden glow that doesn’t twinkle like the surrounding stars. If you have a small telescope, you’re in for a treat. Its famous rings are becoming more favorably tilted toward Earth, making the coming months an excellent time to enjoy views of the ringed planet.

Look to the upper right of Mercury to find Mars. It isn’t nearly as bright as it was earlier this year and will gradually fade as dawn approaches.

A little higher and to the left of Mars is Aldebaran, the bright orange eye of Taurus the Bull. Its warm orange color creates a beautiful contrast with Mars’ reddish glow.

Between Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster lies the distant planet Uranus. It’s much fainter than the other planets, so binoculars are recommended if you’d like to spot its subtle greenish tint.

✨ Constellations of the Week

One of the sure signs of summer is Scorpius climbing into the southeastern sky. This impressive constellation really does resemble a giant scorpion, complete with curved claws and a long sweeping tail.

Its brightest star, Antares, glows with a rich reddish-orange color. The name Antares means “rival of Mars” because ancient skywatchers often confused the two due to their similar colors.

According to Greek mythology, Scorpius was the giant scorpion sent to defeat the mighty hunter Orion. To keep them apart forever, Zeus placed them on opposite sides of the sky. As Scorpius rises on warm summer evenings, Orion is already below the horizon.

Just east of Scorpius is Sagittarius, the Archer. While mythology pictures a centaur with a bow, most of us recognize it as the famous Teapot. Once you find the Teapot, you’ve located one of the richest areas of the night sky this week.

The “steam” rising from the Teapot points directly toward the brightest part of the Milky Way. As darkness falls, our galaxy stretches across the sky like a soft river of light. If you’re away from city lights, it’s one of the most breathtaking sights of summer.

That hazy band isn’t a cloud at all, it’s the combined light of billions of distant stars in our own galaxy. When we look toward Sagittarius, we’re looking toward the center of the Milky Way, about 26,000 light-years away. Hidden there are glowing nebulae, ancient star clusters, and countless objects waiting to be explored with binoculars or a telescope.

If you have a clear evening this week, take a few minutes to step outside and look up. Whether it’s brilliant Venus shining after sunset, Saturn rising around midnight, a meteor streaking across the sky, or the Milky Way arching overhead, summer nights have a special way of reminding us just how amazing our universe really is.

Garden almanac

In the Garden (July 23, 2026)

I’ve been getting a lot of questions in the garden lately about vegetables that are blooming but are not producing. If your garden seems to be taking its time this year, don’t worry, you aren’t alone.

With vining crops like cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins, the first flowers that appear are usually male flowers. They don’t produce fruit, but they provide the pollen needed for the female flowers that follow. In another week or two, you should start seeing more female blossoms, which have a tiny fruit already forming behind the flower. Once they’re pollinated, they’ll begin growing into your harvest.

Tomatoes and peppers are another story. When daytime temperatures climb above 85°F, they often struggle to set fruit. The blossoms may simply dry up and fall off without producing anything. Once temperatures become a little more moderate, they’ll usually start producing again. Because of this summer’s heat, don’t be surprised if some vegetables are running a bit behind schedule.

An outdoor, eye-level, medium shot shows velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti), with its light green, heart-shaped, broad, velvety leaves and capsule-like seedpods that have distinct ridges along their outer surface, growing thickly on vines. The leaves have a fuzzy appearance and fine veins, and they overlap with one another. A seedpod hangs in the lower right, and another is in the upper left. A thin vine winds through the leaves, and the sun shines from the upper right, casting shadows on the leaves.

One weed that’s showing up everywhere this year is velvetleaf. At first glance, it almost looks attractive enough to keep around, thanks to its large, soft leaves. Don’t let it fool you!

Pull it as soon as you spot it. A single velvetleaf plant can produce up to 75,000 seeds, and those seeds can remain viable in the soil for 50 years or more. Taking a few minutes to remove it now can save you a lot of work in future gardens.

An up-close shot of a pine tree branch with fine webs spun over its green needles caused by spider mites against a dark gray background.

Whenever we get stretches of hot, dry weather, spider mites seem to move right in. These tiny pests feed on plant leaves, leaving behind tiny white or yellow speckles known as stippling. If left untreated, plants can become stressed and lose vigor.

An easy way to check for spider mites is with a sheet of white paper. Hold it under a branch or leaf and give the plant a gentle shake. If spider mites are present, you’ll see tiny red or brown dots crawling across the paper.

On pine and spruce trees, another clue is the appearance of fine, silky webs between the needles.

If you find spider mites, you have several options:

  • Spray plants with horticultural oil or neem oil.
  • Apply a labeled systemic or miticide product if infestations are severe, following label directions.
  • If you prefer to avoid insecticides, a strong blast of water from the garden hose every few days can knock many of them off the plants and help keep populations under control.
An adult 5 banded wasp with a slender black body and bright yellow bands curls around a pink thistle flower.

Someone recently brought me a strange-looking whitish wasp to identify. After a little research, it turned out to be a five-banded wasp.

Although it looks intimidating, it’s actually harmless to people. Its stinger isn’t designed to penetrate human skin. Instead, the female uses it to paralyze scarab beetle grubs so she can lay her eggs. They’re also valuable pollinators, making them one of the beneficial insects you can be happy to see in your yard.

Finally, continue checking your garden this week for cucumber beetles and squash bugs. Catching these pests early is much easier than trying to control them after they’ve multiplied. A quick walk through the garden every few days can help you spot problems before they become serious.

Astronomy

🌌 Night Sky This Week: Through July 24, 2026

Summer is in full swing, and so is the night sky this week! This is one of my favorite times of year to spend a few quiet minutes outside after sunset. If you can battle the mosquitoes for a little while, grab a lawn chair, lean back, and enjoy the show. Plenty is happening overhead this week.

🌙 Evening Highlights

Venus is the star of the show this week. It shines so brilliantly that it’s often the very first “star” you’ll notice as the sky begins to darken. Look toward the western sky after sunset, and you’ll have a hard time missing it.

Sky chart titled July 2026 Evenings Looking West shows Venus near Regulus along a green diagonal path over sunset hues.

By Friday evening, the Moon will have moved just south of Venus. Watch the two slowly sink toward the western horizon together after sunset. It’s a beautiful way to end the day.

🌅 Early Morning Sky

If you’re an early riser, don’t miss the morning sky—it has plenty to offer.

Dawn eastern sky with labeled Mercury, Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran above dark horizon; July 23, 40 minutes before sunrise

Mercury is making a brief appearance low on the eastern horizon this week. Look about 40 minutes before sunrise, before the sky becomes too bright. Since Mercury stays close to the horizon, a pair of binoculars will make it much easier to spot.

Saturn rises a couple of hours after midnight. Its steady golden glow makes it easy to distinguish from the twinkling stars around it, and it’s the brightest object in that part of the sky. If you have a small telescope, you’re in for a treat. Saturn’s famous rings are becoming more favorably tilted toward Earth, making the coming months an excellent time for viewing.

Mars rises about an hour before sunrise. The Red Planet sits just below the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, often called the Seven Sisters. Through binoculars, the contrast between reddish Mars and the sparkling blue-white stars of the cluster is especially striking.

Look a little higher and to the left of Mars to find Aldebaran, the bright orange star that marks the eye of Taurus the Bull. Its warm orange color creates a beautiful contrast with Mars’ reddish glow.

Between Aldebaran and the Pleiades lies the distant planet Uranus. It’s much fainter than the other planets, so binoculars will probably be needed to spot its subtle greenish tint.

✨ Constellations of the Week

Star map of Scorpius and the Teapot constellation with labeled Antares, 3 Sgr, and Galactic center over a dark night sky.
Sagittarius and the Scorpion

One of the unmistakable signs of summer is Scorpius climbing into the southeastern sky. This impressive constellation resembles a giant scorpion stretching across the horizon, complete with curved claws and a long sweeping tail.

Its brightest star, Antares, shines with a rich reddish-orange color that has fascinated skywatchers for thousands of years. In fact, the name Antares means “rival of Mars” because its color is so similar to the Red Planet. Ancient observers often mistook one for the other.

Greek mythology tells us that Scorpius was the giant scorpion sent to defeat the mighty hunter Orion. To keep them forever apart, Zeus placed them on opposite sides of the sky. As Scorpius rises on warm summer evenings, Orion is setting—or already below the horizon—ensuring the two celestial rivals never meet.

Just east of Scorpius is Sagittarius, the Archer. While mythology depicts it as a centaur drawing a bow, most people today recognize its famous “Teapot” shape. Once you spot the Teapot, you’ve found one of the richest regions of the night sky.

The “steam” rising from the Teapot points directly toward the brightest part of the Milky Way. As the sky grows darker, our galaxy stretches across the southeastern sky like a soft, glowing river of light. If you’re away from city lights, it’s one of the most breathtaking sights of summer.

That hazy band isn’t a cloud at all—it’s the combined light of billions of distant stars in our own galaxy. The brightest section lies near Sagittarius because that’s the direction we’re looking toward the center of the Milky Way, about 26,000 light-years from Earth. Hidden there are glowing nebulae, ancient star clusters, and some of the richest telescopic views anywhere in the night sky.

Star map of the Summer Triangle with labeled Vega, Deneb, and Altair connected by lines over a starry Milky Way sky.

As darkness settles in, look nearly overhead for the Summer Triangle, one of the easiest star patterns to recognize. It’s formed by three bright stars—Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus, and Altair in Aquila. Once you find these three stars, they’ll guide you through the summer sky for the next several months. Even better, the Milky Way flows right through the triangle, making it a perfect starting point for exploring the heavens.

If you have a clear evening this week, take a few minutes to step outside and look up. You never know what might catch your eye. Whether it’s brilliant Venus shining after sunset, the glowing heart of Scorpius, or the Milky Way stretching overhead, summer nights have a special way of reminding us just how amazing our universe really is.

Happy stargazing! 🌠✨