What’s Up in Denver? July 20th through 26th, 2026

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Look Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

July 20:

The Moon near Spica
The Moon near Spica

July 21:

Into the Deep and Beyond
Into the Deep and Beyond with Dr. Macarena Garcia Marin

July 22:

Features of the 8-day-old Moon
Features of the 8-day-old Moon

July 23:

Standley Lake Stargazing
Standley Lake Stargazing

July 24:

The Moon near Antares
The Moon near Antares

July 25:

DAS Annual Picnic
DAS Annual Picnic

July 26:

The Moon in the Teapot
The Moon in the Teapot
  • 👀 Find the waning gibbous Buck Moon in the Teapot, our satellite sits well within the confines of this asterism in the constellation Sagittarius low in the southern sky around 10:00PM
  • ☄️ Asteroid 3 Juno reaches opposition at 6:00AM
  • 🪐 Pluto reaches opposition at 3:00PM
  • 🪐 Saturn enters retrograde motion, halting its usual eastward movement through the constellations, and turning to move westward. This reversal of direction is a phenomenon that all the solar system’s outer planets periodically undergo, a few months before they reach opposition.

This Week’s Solar System Summary:

  • The Sun rises about 5:57 AM at the start of the week and about 6:02 AM by Sunday, while sunset shifts from 8:17 PM to 8:12 PM. Daylight continues its gradual decline following the summer solstice, though Denver still enjoys more than 14 hours of daylight.
  • The Moon rises in the overnight hours at the start of the week and shifts into the morning and afternoon hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the evening into the late evening and overnight hours.
  • Venus continues to shine brilliantly in the western sky after sunset, setting around 11:45 PM to midnight. It remains the most prominent planet visible in the evening sky.
  • Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on July 21 and passes between Earth and the Sun. As a result, it is lost in the Sun’s glare and not observable this week.
  • Jupiter remains hidden in the Sun’s glare and is not yet visible.
  • Saturn rises during the late evening and becomes an excellent target for observers before dawn, standing high in the southeastern sky by morning twilight.
  • Mars remains low in the eastern dawn twilight and continues to be a challenging object to observe.
  • Uranus rises before dawn and is becoming increasingly well placed for telescopic observation in the early morning sky.
  • Neptune rises during the late evening and is available for observation through most of the night, reaching a favorable altitude before sunrise.

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

  • Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in western Scorpius: About 2 per hour.
  • Southern Delta Aquariids (SDA): After midnight in Aquarius: About 3–5 per hour as the shower approaches its July 29–30 peak. These medium-fast meteors are becoming one of the week’s most active showers.
  • Alpha Capricornids (CAP): After midnight in Capricornus: About 1–2 per hour. While rates remain modest, this shower is famous for producing bright, slow-moving fireballs.
  • Piscis Austrinids (PAU): After midnight in Piscis Austrinus: Less than 1 per hour. Best seen from southern latitudes but still visible from Denver.
  • Perseids (PER): Before dawn in Perseus: About 1–2 per hour. Activity is steadily increasing as the shower builds toward its August 12–13 maximum.
  • ρ-Cygnids (RCY): Before dawn in Cygnus near Sadr: Less than 1 per hour. Occasionally produces bright meteors.
  • July Pegasids (JPE): Before dawn in Pegasus: Less than 1 per hour.
  • July ε-Pegasids (JEP): Before dawn in Pegasus: Less than 1 per hour.

Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:

Sky Map

Clear skies and happy stargazing!