Suggested Searches

July

These night-sky objects are visible in July. We invite you to find them and compare your view to Hubble's!

The Milky Way above Devil's Tower National Monument.
NPS / Damon Joyce

Hubble's Night Sky Challenge is a year-round observing adventure for amateur astronomers to commemorate 35 years of Hubble science and discoveries. This challenge can also serve as a guide for star parties. Below, you’ll find a list of Messier and Caldwell night sky targets visible during July that Hubble has imaged over the years for both Northern and Southern Hemisphere observers.

Helpful Tips

  • Some objects may be visible from most locations on Earth, while others are only visible at specific latitudes and may not be accessible for those in other parts of the world. This page has two lists of recommended targets: one for the Northern Hemisphere and another for the Southern Hemisphere. For best results, we recommend using the list that corresponds to the part of the world you live in.
  • If the name of the object starts with an "M," it's part of the Messier catalog; names that start with "C" are part of the Caldwell catalog.
  • A difficulty scale of 1-3 denotes how easy an object is to find: 1 is the easiest and 3 the hardest. The easiest targets for each hemisphere are listed first, and the most difficult ones are listed last.

Northern Hemisphere Objects

These night sky objects are visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere.

A globular cluster of thousands of stars, mainly white and yellow with small blue stars intermixed.

M13: Great Hercules Cluster

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Bright field of many stars with brightest area at center and deep space surrounding

M92

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Hubble view of M4, a colorful ball of thousands of stars

M4

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A sparkling cluster of yellow and white stars, primarily concentrated near the upper right.

M62

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

Oooh. Sparkly stars!

M107

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

Southern Hemisphere Objects

These night sky objects are visible to viewers in the Southern Hemisphere.

A globular cluster of thousands of stars, mainly white and yellow with small blue stars intermixed.

M13: Great Hercules Cluster

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Bright field of many stars with brightest area at center and deep space surrounding

M92

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Several bright stars in colors of blue-white and red against the black background of space.

C76

Object Type: Open Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Several very bright whitish stars are clustered together, with a number of smaller and dimmer red stars around them.

C82

Object Type: Open Cluster
Difficulty: 1

Hubble view of M4, a colorful ball of thousands of stars

M4

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A sparkling cluster of yellow and white stars, primarily concentrated near the upper right.

M62

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A bright cluster of white and yellow stars against black space.

M107

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A cluster of bright blue and yellow stars against the black background of space. A single bright red star is to the far right.

C81

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

A grouping of blue and reddish stars against the black background of space.

C107

Object Type: Globular Cluster
Difficulty: 2

Two lobes of gas and dust expand outward from the center toward the lower left and upper right of the image. The center of each lobe is bright-white ringed by a rose-pink and then a rusty, orange-brown. The nebula is on a black background dotted with stars.

C69: Butterfly Nebula

Object Type: Planetary Nebula
Difficulty: 3