The Brightest Planets in July's Night Sky: How to See them (and When)

With a little bit of patience — and luck — you'll be able to glimpse the five brightest naked-eye planets during this month. Jupiter is in the western sky at dusk, but it's getting noticeably lower with each passing evening. During the second half of July, the two "inferior" planets Mercury and Venus (so called because they orbit closer to the sun than the Earth) briefly poke into view above the western horizon right after sunset.