On July 4, the sky won't be lit up by just fireworks, but with the lights of the planets as well. This fourth of July, and the following days after that, Mars, Saturn, and our own Moon will be dancing the night away in the Western sky, with the constellation of Leo providing the dance floor.

The dance of the heavens will start on the fourth, with the Red Planet and the Ringed Planet converging to the left of Regulus, one of the brighter stars in the constellation of Leo. On the fifth, the crescent moon will be joining the dance.

On July 6, the trio will form a scalene triangle. In the following days after that, the Moon will exit, stage left, leaving Mars and Saturn behind. By the 10th, the two planets will be converging for their closest encounter in the next 14 years, and will only be 3/4ths of a degree apart.

Get your astrologist to translate that. I'd actually love to hear what Professor Sybill Trelawney would have to say about it: "Death! Destruction! Mayhem!" Well, anyway, here are sky maps for you, to show you what to look out for on those nights. From left to right are the sky maps for July 4, 5, 6, and 10. Click on them to enlarge. Happy planetgazing!