From a close encounter between Saturn and the moon to the Southern Delta-Aquariids and a good view of the Northern Crown, there is much to see this week (July 22 to July 28) using just your naked eye. A good telescope or pair of binoculars will help you see some of the night sky's fainter objects but the unaided eye is enough to learn its stars and constellations , watch the moon , experience meteor showers and see satellites whizz across the night sky. Here is what you can see in the night sky this week without any equipment, all you need to enjoy it all is curiosity, patience and good weather.
Related: The brightest planets in July's night sky: How to see them (and when) This week's stargazing targets Since Mercury orbits close to the sun, it's typically lost in its glare. However, sometimes it's possible to see it briefly, just before sunrise or after sunset. The latter occurs tonight as it reaches its "greatest elongation east," appearing 27 degrees east of the sun as seen from Earth .
Look west just after sunset for a reddish dot just above the horizon. It's going to be about 14 degrees from the sun and shine at magnitude +0.5.
Just above it will be magnitude +2.3 star Regulus, in Leo, while closer to the horizon will be Venus , shining at a much brighter magnitude -3.9, but likely hard to see in the horizon's haze.
Rising around local midnight, the now waning gibbous moon will appear in the east-southeast alongside Saturn , which will shine at magnitude +0.8. Both will .