In the northern hemisphere, this marks the first day of summer and is the day with most hours of light in the year — when the Sun is farthest north. In the southern hemisphere, this is your winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year.
The annular phase of this solar eclipse is visible from parts of Africa including the Central African Republic, Congo, and Ethiopia; south of Pakistan and northern India; and China. Weather permitting, people in these areas will see the characteristic ring of fire.
Part of the Moon will appear darker as the full Moon passes through the faint outer edge (penumbra) of the Earth’s shadow.
This is of particular interest to astrologically minded folks. See URL for more info…
The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. It will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. A medium-sized telescope should be able to show you some of the details in Jupiter’s cloud bands. A good pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter’s four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.
Rejoice, Northern Hemispherians of Earth! First observed on March 27th by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), these next few evenings are your best and last chance to see this comet until its return around year 8,820.
Just after sunset, look below the Big Dipper in the northwest sky. Binoculars or a small telescope are recommended. It may be hard to distinguish with the naked eye until you first locate it with the help of a little magnification.
The comet may be visible for the remainder of July. Each night, the comet will appear higher in the sky, but it will grow more dim every day.
Apparently, this comet has two tails: The first tail is blue and made of gas and ions. There is also a red separation in the first tail caused by high amounts of sodium. The second tail is a golden color and is made of dust, like the tail of Comet Hale–Bopp.
My condolences to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere. Then again, you guys get this year’s total solar eclipse on December 14th…