Another month has come and almost gone. I hope that you were able to get outside to look at the stars for at least one evening. Maybe you will be able to see a couple of the eight planets that will still be visible towards the end of July. Leave me a comment and let me know what you've been able to see.
The month of August will still have warm nights and should have relatively clear skies. The eight planets will again be visible for the first two weeks of the month. By the end of the month, Jupiter will have slipped below our horizon and will no longer be seen from our location. Mars and Saturn will still dominate the southern sky. In fact, if you view Mars throughout the month, it will appear to move backwards in the sky. This is called a retrograde motion. You can also see this happen nearly every day closer to home. If you are out driving on the freeway and pass a car, if you watch the wheels on the other car, they will be going forward and then appear to go backwards and then forward again as you pass. Mars is the car that is being passed, in this example, and Earth is the car you are driving.
August also brings arguably the best meteor shower of the year; The Perseids. This shower has been known to produce over 100 meteors per hour (perhaps up to 150 this year)! This shower is caused by the Earth passing through the trail of dust left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. The exceptional meteor shower this year is provided by the gravitational force of Jupiter slightly altering the debris trail of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle closer to Earths orbit. So be sure to watch for the Perseids!
Here is the breakdown for the month of August:
August 2: New Moon
August 12: Special Observing Night: This is the night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. You should be able to see between 100-150 meteors per hour. Look to the northeast anytime after the moon sets (around 1 a.m.).
August 18: Full Moon
August 23: Mars is only about 2° north of Antares in Scorpius. To tell the difference between the two, remember that stars "twinkle" in the sky while planets will be a constant light. Antares means "not Mars" or "anti-Mars" in Greek.
August 25: Mars will pass just 4° south of Saturn.
The distances between objects in the night sky are measured by degrees, from our point of view on the surface of Earth. This makes it somewhat easier to tell your friends which object you are looking at or finding an object in the sky. As it should be, it's dark outside when you are enjoying the stars, so if you point and tell your friend to look at a particular star, they won't be able to see which one you are pointing at!
Here is how to make those measurements with just your hands! By holding your hand out at arms length:
1° = the width of your little finger.
5° = the width of your three middle fingers combined (pointer, middle, and ring finger).
10° = width of your fist.
15° = span between your index and little finger.
25° = span between your thumb and little finger stretched apart as far as you can.
As mentioned, you will be able to see all of the planets this month. Here is where they will be located throughout the night:
After Sunset:
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter in the west.
Mars and Saturn in the south.
Neptune in the east.
Midnight:
Mars and Saturn will be found in the southwest.
Neptune in the southeast.
Uranus in the east.
Before Sunrise:
Neptune in the southwest.
Uranus in the south.
I would really like to hear from you and what you saw during the month! Please leave me a comment!
Now get outside and look at the stars!
Here is the breakdown for the month of August:
August 2: New Moon
August 12: Special Observing Night: This is the night of the Perseid Meteor Shower. You should be able to see between 100-150 meteors per hour. Look to the northeast anytime after the moon sets (around 1 a.m.).
August 18: Full Moon
August 23: Mars is only about 2° north of Antares in Scorpius. To tell the difference between the two, remember that stars "twinkle" in the sky while planets will be a constant light. Antares means "not Mars" or "anti-Mars" in Greek.
August 25: Mars will pass just 4° south of Saturn.
The distances between objects in the night sky are measured by degrees, from our point of view on the surface of Earth. This makes it somewhat easier to tell your friends which object you are looking at or finding an object in the sky. As it should be, it's dark outside when you are enjoying the stars, so if you point and tell your friend to look at a particular star, they won't be able to see which one you are pointing at!
Here is how to make those measurements with just your hands! By holding your hand out at arms length:
1° = the width of your little finger.
5° = the width of your three middle fingers combined (pointer, middle, and ring finger).
10° = width of your fist.
15° = span between your index and little finger.
25° = span between your thumb and little finger stretched apart as far as you can.
As mentioned, you will be able to see all of the planets this month. Here is where they will be located throughout the night:
After Sunset:
Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter in the west.
Mars and Saturn in the south.
Neptune in the east.
Midnight:
Mars and Saturn will be found in the southwest.
Neptune in the southeast.
Uranus in the east.
Before Sunrise:
Neptune in the southwest.
Uranus in the south.
I would really like to hear from you and what you saw during the month! Please leave me a comment!
Now get outside and look at the stars!
