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S&T: Lauren Darby

Happy anniversary, Neptune! This month astronomers celebrate Neptune's completion of one full orbit since its discovery in 1846. The amazing and convoluted story of how astronomers found Neptune is retold in the July issue of Sky & Telescope.

Neptune can't be seen by eye, but you can spot it with good binoculars or a small telescope. Click here to get a finder chart.

Unlike faint Neptune, Mercury and Saturn are easy to spot by eye. Both planets are visible in the western part of the sky after the Sun sets.

To Saturn's left is the icy-white star Spica, and even farther to its left is the distinctly red-tinged star Antares. Marking the heart of Scorpius, Antares means"rival of Ares" (the Greek word for Mars).

Find out more about sky sights and more by downloading July's audio sky tour. It's a 3-megabyte MP3 file that's 6½ minutes long.

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