Cosmic Lure: Monthly Night Sky Report: August 2020

I was finally able to to do some serious stargazing in July! While I was only able to take out the telescope one night this month, it was still magnificent! We had a late start heading out to the west Utah Desert. When we arrived, the Sun was already setting so we had to quickly set up all of our gear. We recently purchased a new finder scope and 30mm eyepiece for the telescope that we were anxious to try out. The finder scope had to be properly aligned to the telescope which took a lot longer than we were expecting. One would think that finding the Moon would be easy with a telescope. It's large and easily seen in the night sky, but I assure you, it's much harder to find with a smaller field of view from a telescope!

Once everything was correctly aligned, we looked at the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn. We could easily see the rings of Saturn through the wide 30mm eyepiece. The Galilean Moons of Jupiter were also easy to spot through both the finder scope and the 30mm eyepiece. We were also able to make out the cloud bands with this low power eyepiece. After looking at these two planets for a total of 5 minutes, we decided it was time to try and find NEOWISE. It took a few minutes to find the comet with the telescope, but when we did, the view was amazing! Through the eyepiece, we could see the blue-green color of the comet as well as most of the tail. I was able to take a few pictures of the comet which you will find below.

Finally, after viewing the comet for over an hour, we used the telescope and the 30mm eyepiece to scan the Milky Way band. We were impressed with the number of stars we were able to see. It felt like we were floating in space! We were also able to see quite a few meteors streak across the night sky as well as many satellites. Towards midnight, we started to see the flash of lightning and decided it was time to pack up and leave. While we packed up the gear, we continued to take pictures, hoping to catch some lightning and Milky Way shots. If any of these turned out, I will include them below.

August nights will continue to be warm and comfortable for many stargazers. This month also brings one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year: the Perseids. This year, we will have a last quarter Moon in the sky which will wash out the dimmest meteors but an observer should still be able to see the brighter ones. Jupiter and Saturn will continue to attract the attention of observers. Mars will continue to brighten and rise earlier each day this month, making it a great target for telescopes.

Mercury

The best chance to spot Mercury will occur during the first few days of the month. This planet can be found rising shortly before the Sun. On the first morning of the month, Mercury can be found about 5° above the horizon and will sink closer to the Sun with each passing morning. It will reach peak magnitude for the month on August 4th, but will also be found closer to the Sun. Mercury will briefly return to our evening sky at the end of the month where you may be able to spot this tiny world in the glow of dusk.

Venus

Venus will continue to be found in the morning sky, rising a few hours before the Sun. At the open of the month, our sister planet will rise above the Utah mountains close to 4 in the morning. On the 15th, the crescent Moon will join Venus, having only 5° of separation, creating a great target for photographers and stargazers alike. On this date, you may notice the red supergiant star, Betelgeuse, to the right of Venus. You may recall the dimming of this star and reports of it about to go supernova early this year. Betelgeuse has brightened again with astronomers speculating that a cloud of gas moved in front of this star, causing it to dim from our viewpoint. If you continue to watch Venus all month, you will notice that the constellation of Orion will rise earlier with each passing morning. On the 10th, the shoulder star, Bellatrix, will rise at about the same time as Venus. As the month goes on, Venus will lag behind Bellatrix and will rise after the entire constellation by the end of the month. Venus will offer awesome views through a telescope and binoculars, so be sure to give our sister planet a look if you have one of these instruments!

Mars

At the beginning of August, we will find Mars rising sometime around midnight. With each passing night, Mars will rise earlier and appear brighter in the sky, making it a great target for telescopes. The red planet will reach opposition in October, creating an enticing target for stargazers. You may even be able to see some surface detail such as the southern polar cap of Mars! On the 9th, the Moon will join Mars, passing less than 1° from each other. Mars is working towards its retrograde motion which makes it appear to move backwards, towards the east, instead of following the other planets westward in the night sky. Imagine a race track with the planets being the race cars. The Earth is on the inside track (closer to the Sun) and is passing Mars, which is on the outside track (further from the Sun). As the Earth passes Mars, it appears to go backwards and then continue its trek forward. You may notice this phenomena while passing another car on the highway. If you watch the wheels of the car, there will be a point in passing that the wheels will appear to change directions. Check it out next time you are driving!

Jupiter

Jupiter reached opposition last month and will continue to be a great target for telescopes. As the Sun sets in the west, Jupiter can be found in the southeast. The nearly full Moon can be found to the lower left of Jupiter on the first evening of the month. On the 28th, the Moon and Jupiter will meet again. This month will also bring multiple transits of the Galilean Moons across the surface of Jupiter, sometimes more than one occurrence a night! During the transit, while looking through a telescope, you will notice a tiny circle on the surface of Jupiter. This is the shadow of one of its moons! A few of the dates to look for these transits include August 7, 14, 17, 21, 23, 24, 27, and 30. Be sure to give Jupiter a look through your telescope on one of these dates to view a transit! While you are looking, and perhaps waiting for one of these transits, you may be able to spot the Great Red Spot as well. Jupiter completes one full rotation in less than 10 hours, so be sure to check back often for the Great Red Spot if you do not initially see it!

Saturn

Like Jupiter, Saturn reached opposition in late July and will continue to be a great target for telescope users. This ringed world will be found to the left of Jupiter all month. The Moon joins the pair of giant planets on the 1st and 2nd creating a bright trio in the night sky. There will be a similar occurrence on the 28th and 29th, when the Moon returns to this region of the sky. Saturn may seem boring compared to Jupiter this month since it does not have a giant storm brewing or many moon shadows gliding across its surface, but it more than makes up for it with its spectacular rings. Jupiter and Saturn can be found just to the left of the Milky Way band that can be seen from a dark sky site. See below for a few pictures! You may also notice a red star to the right of these planets. This is Antares and marks the right edge of the Milky Way.

Neptune

Uranus

The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. The closest of these two planets, Uranus, will emerge from the Utah mountains around 1 in the morning on the first night of the month. If you can get to dark sky site, you may notice bright red Mars and to the left, the Pleiades. About halfway between these, Uranus can be found, the trio creating a line in the eastern sky. This line of objects will continue to rise earlier with each passing night, making it easier to see for those who can not stay up late. However, since the Earth is getting close to passing Mars on the race track around the Sun, Mars will appear to move closer to the Pleiades and Uranus. The Moon can be found near Uranus on the 11th. By the end of the month, Uranus will rise about the mountains about two hours earlier, at 11.

The most distant planet of our solar system, Neptune, will rise about an hour before Uranus. Your favorite stargazing app can help you locate Neptune, which lies in the constellation of Aquarius this month. A pair of binoculars or telescope will show the blue disk of this planet.

Meteor Shower

The Perseid Meteor Shower returns this month! The active dates of this meteor shower are between July 17th and August 24th, with the peak date halfway between, on August 12th. The best time to view this shower is when Perseus is high in the sky. Anytime after 2:30 in the morning should be a great time to view these shooting stars. The number of meteors you can see will greatly increase if you can get away from the bright city lights. The last quarter Moon will overpower the faintest meteors, but you should still be able to see plenty of bright meteors.

Spot Me....🕵️

I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. Last month, I failed to point out the comet NEOWISE which could be seen with the unaided eye if you could make it to a dark sky site. August will bring the return of a different comet but will require a dark sky and a 4 inch or larger telescope to see. Comet 88P/Howell can be found just 4° to the left of the bright star Spica on the first of the month. As the month marches on, Howell will move further to the left of Spica. Next month, Howell should brighten enough to make it easier to spot.

August nights makes stargazing easier for those that don't like the cold. During my most recent outing with the telescope, I used a low power, wide field of view eyepiece and scanned the Milky Way band. I was greatly impressed by the amount of stars that I could see. I remember having this same feeling while using a pair of astronomy binoculars for the first time. I highly encourage those with a telescope or binoculars to do the same! Even those without astronomy gear, I urge you to grab a comfortable chair or blanket, a can of bug repellant, and enjoy a couple of hours staring upward. You may be witness to space dust burning up in our atmosphere in the form of a shooting star, an unidentified light in the sky which will likely be the ISS or a satellite, and most importantly, hopefully a chance to get away from the stress of everyday life and that caused by this pandemic we are a part of.

As always, leave a comment to let me and others know what you see!

Monthly Breakdown

August 01: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter

August 02: Moon passes within 2° of Saturn

August 03: Full Moon 🌕

August 06: Moon passes within 4° of Neptune

August 09: Moon passes within 1° of Mars

August 10: Moon passes within 4° of Uranus

August 11: Last Quarter Moon 🌗

August 12: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks

August 15: Moon passes within 4° of Venus

August 18: New Moon 🌑

August 25: First Quarter Moon 🌓

August 28: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter

August 29: Moon passes within 2° of Saturn

Think About This....💡

As I finish up school, please enjoy these pictures taken on July 25th in the west desert of Utah. The first five pictures are taken with a DSLR camera. You will seen the Moon behind some clouds, Comet NEOWISE, and the Milky Way band with lightning in the distance. The next three images are taken with my phone. You will see Comet NEOWISE in two of them and the Milky Way band joined by Jupiter and Saturn. Enjoy!