A Dance of the Planets
A "Dance of the Planets" begins in the western sky at dusk as July closes. On the evening of Saturday, July 31, notice a close pairing between Saturn (white in color) and Mars (reddish), taking place to the upper left …
Thunderheads, Orioles, and Fleas
Towering Thunderheads have been seen hovering over the mountains east of San Diego in recent weeks. Afternoon rainshowers have already dampened Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Mount Laguna, with more of the same expected at times during the next two or three …
Venus and the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Venus maintains its tenure as this summer's "evening star." The unmistakeably bright second planet from the sun will be glowing in the western sky after sunset for another ten weeks or so. By November, Venus will have disappeared completely as …
Moon of Blood Good for Grunion Runs?
The Full Moon rises impressively from the east horizon on Sunday, July 25 at around 7:45pm, very near the time of sunset. Some folk names for the July full moon include "hay moon," "wort moon," "moon of blood" (a reference …
Shore Birds
Birdwatchers need not despair now that the winter migrants are gone. Plenty of shore birds can be found on summer evenings in the natural coastal wetland areas of San Diego County. From south to north the publicly accessible coastal wetlands …
Thunderheads, Elderberry, and Cicadas
Cumulonimbus Clouds, or thunderheads, are most likely to form over San Diego County's deserts and mountains during the latter part of the summer season, beginning about mid July. The clouds appear by midafternoon -- often the result of moist, tropical …
July Heat and a Crescent Moon
The Heat of Summer will most likely reach its feverish peak in inland San Diego County during July. (Coastal San Diego is different: since its weather is greatly affected by the slowly warming mass of ocean water adjacent to it, …
July's Low Tides and Grunion Runs
July's Extreme Low Tides are for early risers only! Check out the local tidepool life without hordes of other people around. Sunday, July 11 features a minus 1.5-foot tide at 3:52am. Monday, July 12 there's a minus 1.6-foot tide at …
Tonight's Moon Promises Not to Steal Light from Fireworks
The moon is just past third-quarter phase tonight, and it won't rise until midnight. This and every July 4 (technically July 6 this year) is astronomically notable for the fact that it marks Earth's aphelion -- the time when our …
July Is San Diego's Driest Month
According to precipitation data compiled since the year 1850, July Is San Diego's driest month. Only four hundredths of an inch of rain falls on average this month, compared to almost two inches in January -- the wettest month. July …