THE BIG THREE

The Moon circumnavigates the night sky once every 27.321 days, never straying far from the ecliptic. The main planets in the Solar System also tend to remain close to the ecliptic and consequently, the Moon makes a pass of each one every month.

This month’s encounters are in the morning sky with Saturn up first. Approaching opposition on 14 August, Saturn is currently in eastern Capricornus. It encounters a 92%-lit waning gibbous Moon on 15/16 July, the Moon