Southern Delta Aquariids. Three 'meetings' of the Moon with planets. A particularly magnificent Milky Way. And the Earth at aphelion to the sun. In July, the morning and evening skies over Namibia offer several opportunities for exceptional observations.
The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower (see Wikipedia) is best viewed in the morning. The radiant, the center from which the shooting stars appear to originate, is then high in the sky. It is located near the star system Delta Aquarii (also known as Skat) in the constellation Aquarius, which rises in the east late in the evening.
The meteor shower consists of particles from a comet that burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Earth passes through this particle belt every year between 12 July and 23 August.
The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower reaches its peak on 31 July, with up to 20 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, the simultaneous full moon will steal some of the show, especially since it will be quite close to Aquarius...
The center of the Southern Delta Aquariids is located near the star system Delta Aquarii (Skat) in the constellation Aquarius. With binoculars, you should also be able to see Comet 10P/Tempel 2 in the constellation Capricorn... The morning sky on 31 July 2026 at 5:00 AM, as seen from Windhoek, looking west. Image: Screenshot from interactive star chart on TimeAndDate.com
Early risers can also reward themselves with a view of two planets. Saturn rises as early as 12:20 a.m. It will therefore be high in the (north)east early in the morning (times refer to 15 July 2026; see TimeAndDate.com). It can be found below the extended upper horn of the constellation Taurus.
Mars doesn't appear on the eastern horizon until 4:35 a.m. Mercury, a late riser (around 7:05 a.m.), is barely visible in the east in the light of dawn.
Moon meets Mars. Taurus and the Pleiades (above the crescent moon) as well as Orion are watching... The morning sky on 11 July 2026 at 6:00 AM, as seen from Windhoek, looking east-northeast. Image: Screenshot from interactive star chart on TimeAndDate.com
Other events in the morning sky include (apparent) approaches of the Moon to two planets. Astronomers call these conjunctions. On 7 July 2026, the Moon will be near the ringed planet Saturn. On 11 July 2026 it will 'meet' Mars near the constellation Taurus, with the blessing of the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, shining brightly above it.
The most beautiful conjunction, however, occurs on 17 July 2026 – an intimate rendezvous between the Moon and Venus. The Earth's satellite, ever the gentleman, appears as a discreetly narrow crescent, allowing Venus to take center stage.
Around 9:40 p.m., the unlikely pair sets almost simultaneously. Jupiter, apparently a little jealous, disappears around 7:10 p.m., shortly after the Sun, and is barely visible in its afterglow.
Moon meets Venus in the constellation Leo: The evening sky on 17 July 2026 at 8:00 PM, as seen from Windhoek, looking west-northwest. Image: Screenshot from interactive star chart on TimeAndDate.com
Not visible, but interesting to know: On 6 July 2026, the Earth will be at aphelion to the Sun. 'Ap-' means 'away' in ancient Greek, while 'hel' stands for 'helios,' the Sun. Aphelion is the point on Earth's elliptical orbit that is farthest from the Sun. Astronomers call the point in the galaxy closest to the Sun the perihelion.
In July, the Milky Way, the galaxy to which our Sun belongs, can be admired both in the morning and evening. Since we can currently see its center at night, it appears particularly magnificent. It is best seen on the nights around the new moon (14 July 2026).
From Earth's perspective, the center of the Milky Way is located in the constellation Sagittarius. It appears on the eastern horizon at sunset and disappears in the west at sunrise.
Sunrise on 1 July 2026 is around 7.32 am, sunset around 6.18 pm. On 31 July 2026, the sun rises at around 7.25 am and sets at around 6.30 pm. The length of the day (time with sunlight) will therefore increase by 19 minutes over the course of the month – from 10 hours and 46 minutes to 11 hours and 5 minutes (see Timeanddate.com).
The phases of the moon in July 2026: last quarter 7 July, new moon 14 July, first quarter 21 July, full moon 29 July. Therefore, the nights in mid-July have the least moonlight, which could interfere with the observation of stars and planets.
You can also find out more about the Namibian starry sky in July 2026 in the Astro News by Lutz von Dewitz in the news section on the website of the Namibia Scientific Society.