Cosmic Lure: August 2020

This past month, I was only able to take out the telescope for one evening, but it proved to be a great night. We were able to take my teenage niece and her telescope with us to the west desert. She had a few telescope malfunctions that we were unable to resolve in the dark. Through my telescope, we were able to look at Jupiter and Saturn, the Hercules cluster, and the Ring Nebula. We were also able to see many shooting stars as it was a couple of days after the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. The Milky Way band was very easy to see and I think my niece was impressed with the lack of light pollution and the number of stars that she could see.

September will still be a great month for stargazing, although it may be busier for those who went back to school. September will also offer cooler temperatures as the Northern Hemisphere of Earth continues its tilt away from the Sun. Jupiter and Saturn will continue to be awesome targets for any sized instrument as well as the unaided eyes. Mars will continue to rise earlier with each passing day as it nears its October opposition. Uranus and Neptune will also continue to rise earlier but will require a telescope to view. There will not be a major meteor shower to view this month, but stargazers may still see approximately 7 meteors per hour. This month will bring the return of the zodiacal light, which can be seen in the early morning hours. Your best chance to see this light is to get an area devoid of light pollution and look towards the constellations of Cancer the Crab and Gemini in the east.

Mercury

Mercury will best be viewed in the western sky just after sunset. Your best chance will be later in the month when Mercury can be found a little higher in the sky and next to Spica, the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo. This close approach will occur on the 21st and 22nd this month. On the 21st, Spica will be found to the left of Mercury and will be a full magnitude dimmer than Mercury. The following evening, Spica will be to the lower right of Mercury. A few days prior to this close approach, on the 18th, a thin crescent Moon can be found to the upper right of Mercury, which may help in locating the tiny world. Mercury has always been a hard planet for me to find since it is easily lost in the glare of the Sun. I hope that Spica and the Moon will allow us to more easily find the inner planet!

Venus

Venus will be a much easier target than Mercury this month. It will continue to dominate the early morning sky before sunrise. Throughout August, I was able to easily see Venus until the moment the Sun peaked above the eastern mountains. For the early risers or night owls, you will notice the winter constellation, Orion, rising before Venus. This is one of the most easily recognized constellations, so it should be easy to pick out. I work with a gentleman that despises Orion because that means that colder temperatures are on the way. Unlike me, he prefers the heat over the cold temperatures. Venus should be above the mountains by 3:30 Mountain Time around the first of the month, but will rise later with each passing day. In late August, Venus passed through the constellation of Gemini and will be found passing through Cancer and into Leo through September. A thin crescent Moon will join Venus on the morning of the 14th. On this same date, one of my favorite star clusters, the Beehive Cluster, will be found to the upper left of Venus. If you have a telescope, be sure to give it a look! If the Moon and Venus prove to be too bright, try viewing this cluster a few days later when the trio will not be found so close to each other. By the end of September, Venus will be found to the upper right of the bright star, Regulus. This star is about 80 light years from Earth and will appear dim when compared to the brightness of Venus.

Mars

Mars will start the month off rising above the mountains around 10:30. The red planet will be found in the constellation of Pisces all month and will be a great telescopic target. It should be easy to find in the night sky since there are no other stars that match its magnitude and color in the area. The best time to view Mars, and any night sky object, is when it lies high in the sky, this will be after midnight for us in Utah. Mars will continue to brighten all month as it nears opposition, which occurs in October. The red planet will also begin its retrograde motion this month and appear to move westward, relative to the background stars, in the sky with each passing night. As Mars brightens, a telescope can show some surface details, such as the polar ice caps, Valles Marineris (Mariner Valley), and even Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system. Different features will be visible each week, so be sure to check out Mars often! I am most excited to try to see Olympus Mons, which will be during mid September, and Valles Marineris, during the last week of the month. Valles Marineris is a large canyon, possibly the largest in the solar system, and can be seen in the above image. The Moon will pass very close to Mars on the night of the 5th and morning of the 6th. In some parts of the world, the Moon will actually pass in front of (occult) Mars, but unfortunately we will not be able to see it in Utah. Be sure to check out Mars this month or next with your telescope to hopefully see some surface details!

Jupiter

Jupiter will again be a great target to view all month. It will be found in the constellation of Sagittarius which includes the southern Milky Way band and the area to the immediate left. Jupiter will again offer cloud band detail, the Great Red Spot, and the transits of the four Galilean Moons, if you use a telescope. This month, the Moon can be found to the lower right of Jupiter on the night of the 24th. Jupiter will continue to be an easy object to spot due to its brightness in the night sky. It will likely be the first "star" that you will see shortly after the Sun sinks below the horizon.

Saturn

Saturn will likely be the second "star" that you see after sunset, especially if you are looking at Jupiter. Saturn will be found just to the left of Jupiter and will be joined by the Moon on the 25th, the day after Jupiter. Saturn will again be a great target for your telescope, even after sunset since it will already be high in the sky. You may even be able to see the Cassini Division, the large gap between the A and B rings, with a small telescope. The Cassini Division can be seen in the above image of Saturn. It's the dark "ring" between the A ring, the ring closest to Saturn, and the B ring, the outside ring.

Neptune

Uranus

The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars. Uranus will be a challenge for star-hoppers this month as no bright stars are in the vicinity of this dim planet. Your best chance to view Uranus will be through a telescope that can find objects. For those that want to try without a GoTo telescope, Uranus will be found 13° to the east (left) of Mars on the first night of the month. On the 6th, the Moon can be found to the lower right of Uranus, which may aid in finding this planet through your telescope or binoculars.

Neptune may be a little bit easier to spot, when compared to Uranus, for star-hoppers this month. It will be found in the constellation of Aquarius and just to the lower left of the bright star Phi Aquarii on the first night of the month. This star shines at magnitude 3.34 and should be visible with small amounts of light pollution. The following night, the Moon will be found below Neptune, which may also help stargazers find this most distant planet. The Moon will again return to this region of the sky on the 29th, again aiding in locating Neptune. Neptune will reach opposition on the 11th this month.

Meteor Shower

As mentioned, there will not be a major meteor shower this month, but that should not stop you from trying to see some! The background rate of meteors during the night is about 7 per hour, which should keep you busy while viewing all of the other great night sky objects. Also, as mentioned, you should be able to see the zodiacal light this month, which can be found in the eastern sky after sunset. As with all astronomical observations, it's best to get away from light pollution to enhance the views of whatever your target may be. The zodiacal light is created by sunlight reflecting off of tiny particles which creates a dim glow.

Spot Me....🕵️

I've had you try to spot quite a few different objects in the night sky, most of which require a telescope. My favorite targets have been star clusters because of the awesome views through a telescope. Even a small telescope can show awesome views of star clusters. There are quite a few that can be easily found in the Milky Way band. Looking south, towards Jupiter and Saturn, aim your telescope at the band with your widest eyepiece in the focuser. Follow the band upwards toward the zenith and let me know what you find!

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

Monthly Breakdown

September 02: Full Moon 🌕

September 02: Moon passes within 4° of Neptune

September 06: Moon passes within 0.05° of Mars

September 06: Moon passes within 3° of Uranus

September 10: Last Quarter Moon 🌗

September 11: Neptune at opposition

September 14: Moon passes within 4° of Venus

September 17: New Moon 🌑

September 18: Moon passes within 6° of Mercury

September 23: First Quarter Moon 🌓

September 24: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter

September 25: Moon passes within 2° of Saturn

September 29: Moon passes within 4° of Neptune

Think About This....💡

At the end of August, I officially graduated from Weber State University in Physics. To honor Weber State, and me if you wish, look towards the northeast at the constellation of Cassiopeia. It is in the shape of a "W" laying on its side, and can represent the "W" in Weber. Since we can create our own stories out of the stars, just like our ancestors, the Weber constellation is the story of my time spent at the university and the hard work as I climbed from the tip of the lower part of the "W" to the top.

The stars not only belong to our ancestors, but to each of us. I encourage you to create your own stories, constellations, and memories out of the stars and to share them with others. Remember to always look to and aim for the stars!

The following are my favorite pictures taken in August.