During July, magnitude 5.8 Uranus can be spotted as a blue-green speck in binoculars and as a small 3.5 arc-seconds-wide disk through any telescope. On July 4, the far brighter planet Venus will pass 2.4 degrees to the south of Uranus. On July 20, the waning crescent moon will shine near Uranus while making a passage through the Pleiades.

Mercury is notoriously difficult to see from Earth, thanks to its proximity to the Sun. But on July 4, Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation, meaning the planet will be at its farthest apparent distance from the Sun in the evening sky. This event marks one of the best chances to see the elusive planet this year.

Nearby will be the Bull's brightest star, orange Aldebaran, fairly conspicuous in its own right, yet still shining only a fraction as bright as Venus. Finally, after being out of sight for more than a month,