I will start with the tiny planet, Mercury. It can be found in the west but will only be visible for about 30 minutes after the sun dives below the horizon. You will need to be quick to spot it. Binoculars can help as Mercury will dim as the month passes by.
Following Mercury, Venus will still be easy to spot in the morning sky. It rises over 2.5 hours before the Sun in the east. On the 19th, the Moon will join Venus in the morning sky. They can be found within a few degrees of each other.
Mars will be lost from view during the month of August but will return to our sky next month. Stay tuned!
Jupiter will remain in prime position for binocular and telescopic views for most of the month. Be sure to take a look because by months end, Jupiter will lie too low in the sky to reveal much detail. Jupiter can be found in the southwest sky after sunset. It will shine brightly, making it easy to spot against the background stars. Using binoculars, you will be to make out the four largest moons of Jupiter, while using a telescope, you can also see these moons as well as cloud bands and even the Great Red Spot. Using filters for your eyepieces will help enhance the detail. Jupiter will set around 11 local time at the beginning of the month and slightly earlier with each passing night.
Saturn will be visible all month giving you a great opportunity to view it through a telescope. The rings look amazing and you should also be able to see a few of its moons. Saturn can be found in the southeast sky after sunset and will, of course, travel towards the southwest as the night goes on. It appears slightly more yellow than the surrounding stars if you are viewing with the naked eye.
Uranus will rise in the east 2 hours after sunset. It can be found in the constellation of Pisces the Fish. You should be able to see it through binoculars and if you can get to a dark sky site, you will be able to see it with the naked eye. You may need to use a star chart or an app on your phone to help you locate this faint world. The best chance of viewing Uranus will be a couple of hours before the morning Sun glow washes out the stars.
About 2 hours before the rise of Uranus, Neptune will be visible in the southeastern sky. You will need a pair of binoculars or a larger instrument to view this most distant planet. It may be hard to determine which point of light is Neptune through a pair of binoculars, but should be much easier through a telescope. It will appear blue-gray in color. Neptune will reach opposition in September, so if you have a hard time spotting it, wait until next month and give it another try.
One of the best meteor showers of the year will occur this month. The Perseid shower will peak on August 12 with a typical average of 150 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, the Moon will interfere slightly this year, dropping this average to around 25 meteors per hour. If you are able, be sure to check back nightly after this peak night to catch a glimpse of these meteors. Your chance of seeing them diminishes as the month approaches the 24th.
If any of my readers are outside of the United States, or if you are planning on visiting Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, you will be able to see a partial lunar eclipse on the night of the 7th. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place to view this eclipse, be sure to check with the locals to find out what time you will be able to see this.
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will still be visible in the sky this month, but will require a pair of binoculars or telescope to spot it. It can be found near the Pleiades, which is also a great target for binoculars. If you want to view this comet, be sure to look when the Moon is not near to being fully illuminated. This will help your chances of spotting it. Remember, it will appear as a fuzzy cloud in your field of view. If you are able to make it to a dark sky site and are into photography, you may be able to get an image of the comet by using a long exposure setting.
As promised, here is some more information about the total solar eclipse this month! If you live in North America, you will be fortunate enough to view at least a partial solar eclipse on August 21st. The last time the United States saw a solar eclipse was in 1979 through the northwestern states. The next time will be in 2024 and will be visible from Texas to Maine. The next Total Solar Eclipse to go from coast-to-coast will be in 2045 and will pass through Florida to California. So be sure to check out the one this month! You will want a pair of eclipse glasses, solar filters, or even welding glass while looking at this eclipse. If you don't have a pair, be sure to order or buy a pair soon. For those of you in my home state of Utah, you will be able to see approximately 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon. That's not too bad, but if you are able to drive north to Wyoming or Idaho you can witness totality. I am planning on flying up to Idaho to witness this amazing event and will hopefully be able to catch some decent pictures to share. Click here for an interactive map of the path the Moon will take and the areas that will experience totality. Be sure to get as close to this center line (the red one) as possible for the longest time of totality. The eclipse times will vary, so be sure to ask around. For those in Utah, the eclipse will start at approximately 10:15 AM and end at 1:00 PM. The peak time will be approximately 11:33 AM, so be sure to look at the Sun (with proper eye protection) at this time!
Here is the breakdown for August:
August 07: Full Moon; Partial Lunar Eclipse in the eastern hemisphere
August 12: Perseid Meteor Shower peaks
August 21: New Moon; Total Solar Eclipse, be sure to look up!
I will keep the history lesson short this month so that you have time to get out and see the solar eclipse. In 1877, Asaph Hall, an American astronomer, discovered the two moons of Mars. The first, Deimos, was discovered on the 11th of August. Not even a week later, on the 17th, he discovered Phobos. On August 6th 2012, 135 years after the discovery of the two moons, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars. It is still in operation today, 5 years after having landed on the red planet.
I talked briefly about the Voyager 2 probe last month. This month, in years past, Voyager 2 flew past Saturn on the 26th in 1981. Nearly 8 years later, on August 24th, 1989 Voyager 2 flew past Neptune. Nearly 30 years later, it is still the only probe to have flown past and returned images of Neptune.
Now get outside and look up!
One of the best meteor showers of the year will occur this month. The Perseid shower will peak on August 12 with a typical average of 150 meteors per hour. Unfortunately, the Moon will interfere slightly this year, dropping this average to around 25 meteors per hour. If you are able, be sure to check back nightly after this peak night to catch a glimpse of these meteors. Your chance of seeing them diminishes as the month approaches the 24th.
If any of my readers are outside of the United States, or if you are planning on visiting Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, you will be able to see a partial lunar eclipse on the night of the 7th. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place to view this eclipse, be sure to check with the locals to find out what time you will be able to see this.
Comet PANSTARRS (C/2015 ER61) will still be visible in the sky this month, but will require a pair of binoculars or telescope to spot it. It can be found near the Pleiades, which is also a great target for binoculars. If you want to view this comet, be sure to look when the Moon is not near to being fully illuminated. This will help your chances of spotting it. Remember, it will appear as a fuzzy cloud in your field of view. If you are able to make it to a dark sky site and are into photography, you may be able to get an image of the comet by using a long exposure setting.
As promised, here is some more information about the total solar eclipse this month! If you live in North America, you will be fortunate enough to view at least a partial solar eclipse on August 21st. The last time the United States saw a solar eclipse was in 1979 through the northwestern states. The next time will be in 2024 and will be visible from Texas to Maine. The next Total Solar Eclipse to go from coast-to-coast will be in 2045 and will pass through Florida to California. So be sure to check out the one this month! You will want a pair of eclipse glasses, solar filters, or even welding glass while looking at this eclipse. If you don't have a pair, be sure to order or buy a pair soon. For those of you in my home state of Utah, you will be able to see approximately 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon. That's not too bad, but if you are able to drive north to Wyoming or Idaho you can witness totality. I am planning on flying up to Idaho to witness this amazing event and will hopefully be able to catch some decent pictures to share. Click here for an interactive map of the path the Moon will take and the areas that will experience totality. Be sure to get as close to this center line (the red one) as possible for the longest time of totality. The eclipse times will vary, so be sure to ask around. For those in Utah, the eclipse will start at approximately 10:15 AM and end at 1:00 PM. The peak time will be approximately 11:33 AM, so be sure to look at the Sun (with proper eye protection) at this time!
Here is the breakdown for August:
August 07: Full Moon; Partial Lunar Eclipse in the eastern hemisphere
August 12: Perseid Meteor Shower peaks
August 21: New Moon; Total Solar Eclipse, be sure to look up!
I will keep the history lesson short this month so that you have time to get out and see the solar eclipse. In 1877, Asaph Hall, an American astronomer, discovered the two moons of Mars. The first, Deimos, was discovered on the 11th of August. Not even a week later, on the 17th, he discovered Phobos. On August 6th 2012, 135 years after the discovery of the two moons, the Curiosity rover landed on Mars. It is still in operation today, 5 years after having landed on the red planet.
I talked briefly about the Voyager 2 probe last month. This month, in years past, Voyager 2 flew past Saturn on the 26th in 1981. Nearly 8 years later, on August 24th, 1989 Voyager 2 flew past Neptune. Nearly 30 years later, it is still the only probe to have flown past and returned images of Neptune.
Now get outside and look up!
