Mercury reaches its greatest elongation, 26 degrees east of the sun on July 4. From latitude 40 degrees north, the +0.6-magnitude planet is low in the west-northwest and sets during twilight about 1.5 hours after sunset, and only an hour after the sun on July 12 when the planet will be of magnitude +1.2.

To get a glimpse of the “Swift Planet,” EarthSky suggests waiting for the sun to set before looking west for the planet during twilight time. Nearly a week after Fourth of July fireworks illuminate the sky, the so-called Buck Moon will rise on July 10.

The globular cluster Messier 22 (M22) reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight local time, specifically for observers south of 46° N latitude, since M22’s position favors the Southern Hemisphere.