In the sky of July Three stars Particularly brilliant draw the unmistakable “Summer triangle“, which dominates the summer sky thanks to Vega, Altair And Deneb: these are the brightest stars of this period, together with Arturo of the constellation of the Bootes. But these will not be the only stars of the summer skies, as theItalian Astrophils Union (UAI): along the zodiac we will be able to recognize, from west to east, the Virgin followed by Balance, Scorpio, Ophiuch And Sagittariuswhose position also indicates the center of the Milky Way. It should also be remembered that the July 3rd At 22.00 Italian time the Earth reaches theaphelionthat is, the point where it is located maximum distance from Sunover 152 million kilometers.
Different are active in July shamans minors of meteorprelude to the best known Perseid of August, and the 2025 It presents itself with rather favorable conditions. The season opens with the Theta-Persiidiwho will reach their maximum on the 2nd of the month, a few days later it will be time for alpha-pegasidifast and sometimes spectacular meteors that however this year will be disturbed by Full moonand the third important appointment will be with the Delta-Sagittaridiwhose maximum is foreseen between the 18 and the 20 of the month. In the last days of July the shaman protagonists of the summer will then do their entry: the delta-aquarids quick and elegant, the alpha-capicornidi often accompanied by Spectacular racing carsand finally the first Perseids, already visible with some occasional meteor.
Almost all planets they are currently visible only in the second part of the night and before the rise of Sun: the only one who is still possible to admire in the early hours of the evening on the western horizon is Mars. The brightest planet in the morning, before dawn, is VenusWhile Jupiter reappears on the eastern horizon towards the end of the month. The return of Saturn In the late evening, just before midnight, with its rings that in this period appear to be cut, therefore very thin.
What is the summer triangle
The Summer triangle It is a great asterism easily recognizable in the sky of the northern hemisphere. It consists of three stars Very brilliant that appear shortly after sunset, from June until the first days of January. Its three light tips are Altairin the constellation of theEagle, DenebIn the SwanAnd Vegain the Lirawhich is also the brightest star of the group and the fifth of the entire night sky.
This triangle stands out on the range of Boreal Milky Wayprecisely where a vast complex of dark nebulae, known as the Swan slitinterrupts the glyssia of the galaxy. Precisely for its position and for the ease with which it is identified, the Summer triangle It is often used as a starting point to orient themselves between the summer constellations and to find some famous objects of the deep sky, such as nebulae M27 And M57.
In the southern hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, this asterism is sometimes called Winter triangleeven if it does not correspond to the real winter triangle observable in the colder months.