Corona Borealis
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look west-southwest; about 55 deg up.
Small crown-shaped arc west of Hercules; useful context for the Blaze Star watch.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons / IAU chart
New moon
Jul 14
Buck Moon
Jul 29
Dark-sky window
Jul 10 - Jul 18
excellent moon conditions
Best first target
M27 Dumbbell Nebula
Main · City-friendly
Monthly anchors
HerculesLyraCorona BorealisSummer Triangle
Munich sky orientation
July 15, 23:00 from Munich
Face south-southeast after astronomical twilight. Vega and Lyra are high, Hercules is west of them, M27 sits in the Summer Triangle field, and M17 is the low southern horizon check.
90 deg overhead
60 deg
30 deg
SW
South
SE / East
Corona Borealis
55 deg
Hercules
65 deg
Lyra
75 deg
Summer Triangle
55-85 deg
Vulpecula
55 deg
Sagittarius
18 deg
Sourced constellation charts
What the July anchors look like
Hercules
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look southwest; about 65 deg up.
The Keystone is high and reliable; M13 sits on its western edge.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons / IAU chart
Lyra
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look east-southeast; about 75 deg up.
Vega is the bright anchor; M57 is between Beta and Gamma Lyrae.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons / IAU chart
Summer Triangle
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look east to overhead; about 55-85 deg up.
Vega, Deneb, and Altair frame the summer guide field.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons
Vulpecula
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look southeast; about 55 deg up.
Faint constellation inside the Summer Triangle; M27 is the practical target here.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons / IAU chart
Sagittarius
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look south; about 18 deg up.
Low from Munich. Use M17 only with a clean southern horizon.
Chart source: Wikimedia Commons / IAU chart
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Meteor Showers
Perseids
Peak: Jul 12
Southern Delta Aquariids
Peak: Jul 30
Alpha Capricornids
Peak: Jul 30
Targets
Ordered for this month's Munich guide view.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Dumbbell Nebula
M27Planetary Nebula
MainCity-friendlyVulpeculaLook east-southeast / 50 deg upBinocularsMag 7.51,360 ly
The first planetary nebula ever discovered — a stellar death shroud 1,360 light-years away, expanding into space for the last 10,000 years.
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look east-southeast; the target is about 50 deg above the horizon.
Find it
Not visible to naked eye. Located in the small constellation Vulpecula, about 3° north of the bright star γ Sagittae (the middle star of Sagitta, the Arrow).
Image source: ESO / Wikimedia Commons
Swan Nebula
M17Emission Nebula
ConditionalHorizon checkSagittariusLook south-southeast / 24 deg upBinocularsMag 65,500 ly
One of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions in our galaxy — a stellar nursery rivaling the Orion Nebula.
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look south-southeast; the target is about 24 deg above the horizon.
Find it
May be glimpsed as a faint fuzzy patch under excellent conditions. Located about 2° south of the Eagle Nebula (M16).
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Ring Nebula
M57Planetary Nebula
SecondaryCity-friendlyLyraLook east-southeast / 67 deg upSmall telescopeMag 8.82,300 ly
The archetypal planetary nebula — a shell of gas expelled by a dying star, now illuminated by the hot stellar remnant at its center.
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look east-southeast; the target is about 67 deg above the horizon.
Find it
Not visible to naked eye. Located between the stars Sulafat (γ Lyrae) and Sheliak (β Lyrae), the two southern stars of the Lyra parallelogram.
Image source: NASA/ESA / Wikimedia Commons
Hercules Cluster
M13Globular Cluster
FallbackCity-friendlyHerculesLook southwest / 76 deg upNaked eyeMag 5.825,100 ly
The finest globular cluster visible from northern latitudes — a spherical city of 300,000 ancient stars bound together by gravity.
Munich guide-time view
At July 15, 23:00 from Munich, look southwest; the target is about 76 deg above the horizon.
Find it
Visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy 'star' under dark skies. Located on the western edge of the Keystone asterism in Hercules, about one-third of the way from η to ζ Herculis.
Seasonal constellations
Hercules
1 target
Hercules Cluster
In Hercules, on the side of the Keystone facing Vega
Lyra
1 target
Ring Nebula
In Lyra, between the southern stars of the parallelogram
Sagittarius
1 target
Swan Nebula
In northern Sagittarius, south of the Eagle Nebula
Vulpecula
1 target
Dumbbell Nebula
In Vulpecula, north of Sagitta the Arrow
Meteor showers
Perseids
Peak: August 12-13
100
meteors/hr
The most popular meteor shower thanks to warm August nights, reliable rates, and a high percentage of bright meteors. The parent comet has a 133-year orbit and last visited in 1992. Perseids are known for bright, fast meteors with persistent trains.
Best viewing
All night, best after midnight
Radiant is circumpolar from Europe - meteors visible in all directions
Photo notes
Point camera anywhere in the sky - meteors will appear in all directions. Warm nights allow longer imaging sessions.
Southern Delta Aquariids
Peak: July 30-31
25
meteors/hr
A reliable summer shower that peaks just before the Perseids. From southern Europe, rates are better than from northern locations. Meteors are medium-speed and often faint.
Best viewing
After midnight
South toward Aquarius
Photo notes
Can photograph alongside early Perseids for a two-radiant composite.
Alpha Capricornids
Peak: July 30-31
5
meteors/hr
A minor shower by numbers, but famous for producing spectacular bright fireballs. The slow-moving meteors often leave persistent trains. Active at the same time as the Southern Delta Aquariids, so a good night for meteor watching overall.
Best viewing
After midnight
South toward Capricornus/Aquarius
Photo notes
Slow meteors and frequent fireballs make this an excellent photography target despite low rates.