Night sky July 2027 UK: planets, Moon and meteor showers
What to see from Britain in July 2027, with times worked out for UK skies rather than copied from American guides.
July nights are still short but darkness returns as the month goes on, and the summer Milky Way rises in the east. Saturn is best before dawn in mid-July 2027. Neptune is also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The full Moon, the Buck Moon, is on Sunday 18 July 2027. The Southern Delta Aquariids peak on the night of 30 to 31 July, with the Moon 9% lit.
July 2027 night sky: key dates
| Date | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Sunday 4 July | New Moon at about 04:05 BST |
| Saturday 10 July | First Quarter at about 19:40 BST |
| Thursday 15 July | Mercury at greatest western elongation, 21° from the Sun in the morning sky, but too low in the twilight to see well from the UK |
| Sunday 18 July | Full Moon, the Buck Moon at about 16:45 BST |
| Monday 26 July | Last Quarter at about 17:55 BST |
| Friday 30 July | Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower peaks on the night of 30 to 31 July (Moon 9% lit) |
Times are UK local time, rounded to five minutes. For what's up on a particular night, see the UK night sky this week and the 7-night astronomy weather forecast.
When does it get dark in July in the UK?
On 15 July the Sun sets at about 21:25 BST in central England and the sky is dark enough for stargazing from about 23:20 until 03:10. The sky never gets fully astronomically dark at this time of year, so faint galaxies and the Milky Way are washed out.
| Date | Sunset | Dark enough to stargaze | Astronomical darkness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July | 21:35 BST | 23:45 to 02:40 | None: twilight all night |
| 15 July | 21:25 BST | 23:20 to 03:10 | None: twilight all night |
| 31 July | 21:00 BST | 22:40 to 03:45 | 00:10 to 02:20 |
For Birmingham. "Dark enough" means the Sun is 12° below the horizon; astronomical darkness means 18°. Around midsummer it never gets that dark in Edinburgh or anywhere further north. In midwinter Edinburgh is dark about 5 minutes earlier than Birmingham and Plymouth about 15 minutes later; in spring and autumn the whole country is within about 15 minutes of these times.
Planets visible in July 2027
Saturn is best before dawn in mid-July 2027. Neptune is also up for anyone with binoculars or a telescope. The details below are for 15 July from central England; times move by a few minutes from night to night.
Not well placed this month: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus.
Moon phases July 2027
| Phase | Date and time |
|---|---|
| New Moon | Sunday 4 July, about 04:05 BST |
| First Quarter | Saturday 10 July, about 19:40 BST |
| Full Moon | Sunday 18 July, about 16:45 BST |
| Last Quarter | Monday 26 July, about 17:55 BST |
The best evenings for faint targets this month are 1 to 12 and 28 to 31 July, when the Moon is out of the sky for at least the first hour after dark. The full Moon is the Buck Moon; our moon phase tonight page shows the Moon for any night.
Meteor showers in July 2027
- Southern Delta Aquariids: peak on the night of 30 to 31 July. Up to 25 an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a UK garden expect a fraction of that. The Moon is a waning crescent (9% lit) and does not rise until about 02:10.
Also active this month: Perseids.
For a quick verdict on any night, see is there a meteor shower tonight, and the UK meteor shower calendar for the year ahead.
Constellations and deep-sky objects in July
The Summer Triangle is high in the east and south-east, Hercules is high in the south, and the teapot shape of Sagittarius sits very low in the south, where the Milky Way is brightest.
- The Lagoon Nebula (M8), low in the south in Sagittarius
- The Coathanger (Collinder 399), a binocular asterism between Vega and Altair
- M13 and M92 in Hercules
To find your way around, our constellation guides show each star pattern, and binocular astronomy explains how to star-hop to clusters like these. For the darkest skies near you, try the UK dark sky sites map.
Kit for a month of stargazing
Kit we've reviewed in full
Nothing on this page needs more than your eyes, but a star chart and a red light make finding things far easier, and binoculars show the Moon's craters, Jupiter's moons and the best star clusters.
Philip's Planisphere (latitude 51.5° North)
Turn the wheel to the date and time and it shows exactly which constellations are up. Made for 51.5° north, so it matches the sky over Britain.
Lepro Rechargeable Head Torch with Red Light (2 pack)
Red light lets you read a chart without undoing the 20 minutes your eyes need to adapt to the dark.
The UK astronomy forums' standard first pair: waterproof, bright and the right size for clusters, the Moon and the Milky Way.
Our best binoculars for stargazing
Honest, research-based recommendations for every budget.
Browse all →Affiliate links: you pay the same price, we earn a small commission that helps keep WatchTheStars free.
Every figure on this page is calculated for central England (52.5° north) when the site rebuilds each night, using the same methods as our stargazing tonight tool, checked against the JPL ephemeris. Each month's page moves on to the following year once the month ends.