What's Up: July 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

What's Up: July 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA



Jul 1, 2026
A predawn meetup between the Moon and planets, a returning comet, dark skies for the Milky Way, and Saturn's unusually thin rings.

Before sunrise on July 11 and 12, look east/southeast for the waning crescent Moon, Mars, and Saturn. Uranus is in the same part of the sky, but you will need binoculars or a telescope to spot it.

Around July 14, use binoculars or a telescope to seek Comet 10P/Tempel 2 under dark skies of the New Moon. Those nights are also a great time to look for the Milky Way, while later in the month Saturn's rings appear strikingly thin through a telescope.

0:00 Intro
0:11 Moon, Mars, Saturn, and Uranus before dawn
0:47 Comet 10P/Tempel 2
1:35 Dark skies for the Milky Way
2:34 Saturn's thin rings
2:57 July Moon phases