August Observing Guide Available for Use

Hi all,

Below is an observing guide for August which you all are free to use

OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are BST)

Mercury has now moved away from inferior conjunction and heads towards greatest western elongation on the 7th. It will be close to Venus before dawn in the East in Gemini. The two planets will be less than 3 degrees apart. On the mornings of the 10th and the 11th, they will be 2 degrees apart. Mercury gets brighter as the month progresses, but at the same time heads towards the sun. It rises at 04:09 at the start of the month, but by the end it only rises at 06:06. On the 21st, Mercury has a close encounter with Saturn, in Leo in the East. It will be mag -1.2 with Saturn at mag +0.5. Be careful if viewing this conjunction, as the 2 planets will rise only one hour before the sun.

Venus remains brilliant in the pre-dawn sky in the East in Gemini at mag -3.9. It has a very close encounter with Saturn on the morning of the 27th with the 2 planets being only 0.25 degrees apart. It also has a period of close encounters with Mercury this month, which are described above. It rises at 03:19 at the start of the month and by 04:44 at the end.

Mars has been lost in the evening twilight and is not observable.

Jupiter remains low in the South West in Libra and is still an impressive sight despite its low altitude. It will be mag -1.9 and it is moving closer to the sun. It sets at 23:46 at the start of the month and at 21:54 by month’s end.

Saturn is at conjunction with the sun on the 7th and is not observable until the second half of the month when it becomes a morning object in the East in Cancer. It has a close encounter with Mercury on the 21st and Venus on the 27th, both of which are described above.

Uranus is well placed this month for observing and at mag +5.7, can be seen with the naked eye under good conditions. It rises at 22:05 at the start of the month and at 20:05 by month’s end. It can be found in the South East in Aquarius.

Neptune currently lies in Capricornus in the South East. It is at opposition on the 11th. It has a mag of +7.8. It rises at 21:16 at the start of the month and by the end it sets at 04:30 having risen in the early evening.

Pluto remains well placed for observing this month. It will be mag +14.0, so its one for the bigger scopes. It can be found in the South in Ophiuchus. At the start of the month it sets at 02:43. By the end it sets at 00:39.

The Moon has another interesting month. A 55 per cent illuminated moon is 8.5 degrees to the South of Jupiter on the 2nd. On the 16th a 49 per cent illuminated moon lies close to the Pleiades. On the 22nd, a 2 per cent crescent lies close to Venus just before sunrise. On the 29th a 29 per cent illuminated moon lies 6 degrees South of Jupiter in the evening twilight. First quarter moons occur on the 2nd and 31st. The full moon is on the 9th with the last quarter moon on the 16th and the new moon on the 23rd.

It’s a busy month for meteor showers. The main shower this month is the Perseids. The peak will be on the night of the 12th-13th with a ZHR of 80. However the moon will interfere heavily with it being only 3 days after full moon. The Northern Iota Aquarids run from the 11th with the peak being on the night of the 25th-26th . The moon will not interfere, being only 1 per cent illuminated. There is a predicted ZHR of 3. The Southern Iota Aquarids run throughout August with the peak on the night of the 6th-7th . The ZHR is 8, but the moon will interfere being only a couple of days before the full moon. The Alpha Capricornids also run throughout August, with the peak on the night of the 1st-2nd . The first quarter moon sets early, having little interference. This shower is noted for slow fireballs. It has a predicted ZHR of 4. The Northern Delta Aquarids run throughout the month, with a peak on the night of the 13th-14th. A ZHR of 20 is predicted, but a 73 per cent illuminated moon heavily interfers with this shower. The final shower is the Kappa Cygnids. This shower is active throughout the month and peaks on the 18th. A ZHR of 6 is predicted, with a 21 per cent illuminated moon not heavily interfering. This shower is also capable of fireball activity.

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. Other more challenging deep sky objects visible this month include the North American Nebula - NGC 7000, located within three degrees of Deneb. Another one is the Blue Snowball Nebula - NGC 7662. It can be found in Andromeda, between Omicron and Iota Andromedae.

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 this month Ceres is at opposition on the 17th at mag +7.6. It can be found in the South between Pisces Austrinus and Capricornus.

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

Good work Neil, and thanks for sharing it!