Starwatch: July to end with stunning celestial grouping

Crescent moon will appear with Pleiades star cluster, Jupiter and Mars, and the bright star Aldebaran

July ends with a spectacular grouping of celestial objects in the eastern pre-dawn skies. The waning crescent moon will appear with the Pleiades star cluster, the planets Jupiter and Mars, and the bright star Aldebaran for two consecutive mornings.

The chart shows the view looking east from London at 4am BST on 31 July. On this night, the 25-day-old moon will be a thin waning crescent with just 19% of its visible surface illuminated. The night before, the crescent will be larger, and less fragile-looking, but will be more centrally placed, appearing close to Mars.