Monday, July 20New Moon occurs at 1:33 P.M. EDT.

Saturn reaches at opposition at 6 P.M. EDT, when it will lie 836 million miles (1.35 billion kilometers) from Earth. As soon as the Sun sets, the ringed planet is rising in the southeast, with Jupiter about 7 to its west. Saturn glows at an easy magnitude 0.1 for observers without optical aid, but binoculars or a telescope will bring into view its stunning rings. They stretch nearly 42" across, more than twice the diameter of the planets 19"-wide disk. As full darkness falls, see if you can spot the rings dark Cassini Division or the planets bright moon Titan, nearly 3' east of Saturns center.

Saturn lies in the constellation Sagittarius, and the region around it is rich with additional observing targets tonight. These include Jupiter, Pluto, and the globular clusters M55 and M75. With no Moon to create glare, these and other faint objects should be easier to spot and appear grander against the dark-sky backdrop.

Tuesday, July 21Summertime is the best time to try spotting noctilucent, or night-shining, clouds. These wispy, eerie clouds hang high in Earths atmosphere about 50 miles (80 km) above the surface, far higher than the lower atmosphere where other clouds and weather occur. Noctilucent clouds comprise ice crystals that form on dust grains high in the atmosphere, which are then illuminated by the Sun. Because of their height, these clouds can reflect light long after the Sun has set (or before it rises) from an observers location.

Wednesday, July 22The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower is now ramping up for its peak on July 29, when observers can expect about 20 shower meteors per hour. In fact, the shower has been active most of the month, officially starting on the 12th. As the date of the peak approaches, you may notice more and more sporadic meteors in the sky, particularly if you observe for long periods of time from a dark site. The showers radiant in Aquarius the Water-bearer rises late in the evening and is visible all morning until sunrise, climbing higher in the sky. To find it, locate bright Jupiter and Saturn, then scan about 35 east of a point roughly between the two planets. With New Moon now past, the next several days are an ideal time to watch for meteors. The best time to look is early morning, before dawn starts to brighten the sky.

Mercury is at greatest western elongation (20) at 11 A.M. EDT.

Read more:

The Sky This Week: Comet NEOWISE appears at sunset - Astronomy Magazine