Hi all,
Below is the monthly observing guide I do for the EAAS website. Feel free to use.
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are BST)
Mercury heads for inferior conjunction on the 18th of the month. At the start of the month it is mag +1.7, it can be found low in the West in Cancer. It sets at 22:32 at the start of the month. By the end of the month, it reappears as a morning object in the East in Gemini. It rises at 04:13, roughly one hour before sunset and is mag +1.3.
Venus can still be seen as a morning object throughout the month. It rises at 02:57 at the start of the month and by 03:17 by the end. During the month it rises roughly two hours before the sun. It can be found in the East in Taurus and is mag -3.9.
Mars still remains visible low in the evening twilight. It can be found in Cancer in the West. It is mag +1.8 and sets at 23:31 at the start of the month and by 22:05 by the end.
Jupiter remains low in the South in Libra and is still an impressive sight despite its low altitude. Its brightness dips from mag -2.1 to -1.9 between the start and end of the month. It sets at 01:51 at the start of the month and at 23:50 by month’s end.
Saturn is lost to the evening twilight by month’s end. At the start of the month it is mag +0.6 and sets at 23:13. It can be found in Cancer in the West.
Uranus is well placed this month for observing and at mag +5.8, can be seen with the naked eye under good conditions. It rises at 00:08 at the start of the month and at 22:09 by month’s end. It can be found in the South East in Aquarius.
Neptune currently lies in Capricornus in the South East. It has a mag of +7.9. It rises at 23:20 at the start of the month and at 21:20 by month’s end.
Pluto remains well placed for observing this month. It will be mag +13.9, so its one for the bigger scopes. It can be found in the South in Serpens Cauda. At the start of the month it rises at 19:35 and sets at 04:48. By the end it rises in daytime and sets at 02:47.
The Moon has another interesting month. On the 5th , a 71% illuminated moon lies 5 degrees South of Jupiter. On the 20th, a 25% illuminated moon lies 2.5 degrees from the Pleiades. On the 23rd, a 4% illuminated moon lies 5 degrees North of Venus and on the 27th , a 6% illuminated moon lies 1 degree East of Mars. First quarter moon is on the 3rd, with full moon on the 11th and last quarter on the 17th. We have a new moon on the 25th.
Meteor shower activity is dominated this month by Southern declination showers. The Southern Delta Aquarids are active from the 12th of the month with the peak on the 28th. The ZHR is 20. The peak falls well, just three days after the new moon. The alpha Capricornids are active from the 3rd of the month with three peaks during the month on the 8th, 15th and 26th. The ZHR is 5 and they are of a yellow/blue colour. The peaks for this shower do not all fall well for lunar activity. The first two lie three days either side of the full moon, but the last peak falls just one day after the new moon. The Pisces Austrinids are active from the 15th of the month with the peak on the 28th, with a ZHR of 5. Like the peak of the Delta Aquarids which also falls on the 28th, there is little lunar interference with the moon being only three days old.
On the Deep Sky front this month, the summer triangle of Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila is prominent. At this time of year, the Southern Zodiacal Constellations of Libra, Scorpius and Sagittarius are visible. Sagittarius is rich with Messier objects including M22 - a globular cluster and M25 - an open cluster. M21 is another open cluster and there is also two reflection nebulae - M20 and M8.
Watch out for NLCs - Noctilucent Clouds this month. They are also known as Polar Mesospheric Clouds as they are thought to be due to water ice particles up in the mesosphere. They are visible between the Northern latitudes of 50 to 65 degrees. Look to the North for a white/silvery glow. They can sometimes be faint, sometimes bright.
Finally some general notes. Look out for the wonderful sight of the summer milky way with the nights now on the turn. Also there are some asteroids visible this month. Ceres is on its way to opposition in August and this month can be found in Aquarius in the South at the start of the month, moving into Pisces Austrinus by the end. It is mag +8.3. Pallas can be seen in Hercules in the South West, it is mag +9.7. The final asteroid is Eunomia, which reaches opposition in Capricornius in the South East at the end of the month at mag +8.3.
Finally check out
www.heavens-above.com
for the latest passes of the ISS and for details of Iridium Flare activity. Clear Skies until next month.
Neill McKeown
