from The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2003
“Earth’s Aphelion (farthest point from the Sun) arrives on the 3rd, with the Sun now at its dimmest of the year. In fact, everything but Mars seems to be reaching a choreographed nadir. Jupiter, near the crescent Moon on the 2nd, crosses into Leo and drops so low into evening twilight that its lovely conjunction with Mercury on the 25th will be a challenge to see. Saturn is lost in solar glare until the end of the month. Venus’s long performance as a morning star sputters to a close. But Mars makes up for it all: Near the Moon on the 17th and brighter than magnitude – 1.0, it rises by 11 P.M and overwhelms the dim stars of Aquarius, its home until December.”
NOTE: Western Edition quoted, adjust times accordingly