July 2026 smart telescope observing guide
29 Jun. 2026
July is one of the best months to explore the Milky Way core, especially from the Northern Hemisphere, where Sagittarius reaches its highest elevation just before midnight.
It is also the season when Deneb, part of the Summer Triangle, and Cygnus dominate the sky, bringing with them a wealth of spectacular emission nebulae.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Milky Way stretches from horizon to horizon, with Sagittarius and Scorpius high overhead during the first half of the long southern night.
July 2026 astronomical calendar
It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.
Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.
- July 7 — Last Quarter Moon
- July 10 — The Andromeda Galaxy returns in the second half of the night
- July 14 — New Moon
- July 21 — First Quarter Moon
- July 29 — Full Moon
Celestial Scene of the Month
Northern sky
North America, Gulf of Mexico & the Pelican
The North America Nebula (NGC 7000) and the Pelican Nebula (IC 5070) are two portions of the same vast HII region separated in visible-light appearance by the dark foreground molecular cloud LDN 935 (known as the "Gulf of Mexico"). In radio and infrared wavelengths, LDN 935 is transparent and the full continuity of the underlying emission structure is visible. All three objects are physically related.
For observers at mid-northern latitudes, the complex rises above 80° elevation in the middle of the night. This can make tracking more difficult and significantly slow down stacking.
Using Plan My Night, you can schedule the capture before the target reaches 75° elevation, then resume once it drops below that altitude. In the meantime, you can schedule another target to make the most of the session.
Southern sky
The Lagoon, Trifid and Chinese Dragon Complex
This is one of the most spectacular wide-field celestial scenes of the summer sky, grouping several closely projected Sagittarius star-forming and dust-cloud regions into a single imaging field. M8, the Lagoon Nebula; M20, the Trifid Nebula; NGC 6559; IC 4685; and Barnard 91 all lie in the same rich Sagittarius Milky Way landscape, at broadly comparable distances of roughly 5,000 light-years.
Together, the five objects span roughly 3.5° × 2.5° on the sky and a stitching of two mosaic fields would provide even more context and better framing. The entire scene is set against an extraordinarily dense stellar backdrop toward the inner Milky Way.
While the scene contains several emission nebulae, it also includes reflection components, especially in the Trifid Nebula, as well as a rich starfield background that would be suppressed in narrowband imaging.
For this reason, it’s better to capture this region without a dual-band filter.
"Plan my Night" of the month
Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best results.
Northern sky
use the dual band filter for this plan.
Southern sky
use the dual band filter for this plan.
Around the full moon
During the few nights surrounding the full moon, it's best to focus on star clusters, which are less affected by the Moon’s light pollution.
Northern sky
Messier 92 globular cluster
Often overshadowed by its famous neighbor M13, M92 is nevertheless a great globular cluster, more compact and more concentrated.
Mag.: 6.4, Angular size: 14'
Southern sky
S normae cluster / Caldwell 89
Situated in a dense section of the southern Milky Way star cloud, its most notable individual member is S Normae, a classical Cepheid variable star that pulsates in brightness with a period of approximately 9.75 days.
Mag.: 5.4, angular size: 12'
Challenging Target of the Month
Northern sky
Barnard 312
A large, diffuse dark nebula in Scutum with a distinctive arrow shape. This dark nebula is superimposed on a glowing H II region (RC 163) and a dense star field background.
As with all dark nebulae, the impact depends entirely on the richness of the background star field: the longer the integration, the more dramatic the contrast.
Revealing the underlying H II emission region requires deep integration and a dual-band filter, which will, however, attenuate the background star field. To get the best out of this target, combine broadband and narrowband captures.
Coordinates for manual target :
Right ascension: 18h 32m 00s • Declination: −15° 28′ 00″
Southern sky
Blue Horsehead Nebula
IC 4592 and IC 4601 form a wide complex of reflection nebulosity in Scorpius, embedded in a dusty molecular cloud. The main and most recognizable structure is IC 4592, the Blue Horsehead Nebula itself , whose curved dust lanes and blue reflection glow create the apparent outline of a horse’s head. This is a demanding target requiring very long broadband integrations to develop the diffuse outer nebulosity. Given the wide angular size of the complex, the mosaic mode will help.
Magnitude and angular size reminder
