Hi all,
Below is sky guide to August:
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are BST and are based on an observing location of Belfast)
The Sun
At the start of the month the Sun rises at 05:35 and sets at 21:25. By the end of the month, it rises at 06:30 and sets at 20:20.
The Planets
On the evening of the 28th/morning of the 29th,
Jupiter lies less than half a degree to the South of
Vesta.
On the evening of the 21st/morning of the 22nd,
Mars lies close to the Northern tip of the
Hyades cluster.
Mercury is at superior conjunction on the 15th and is poorly placed for observation this month. At the start of the month, it rises just over an hour before the Sun at 04:10 and by month’s end it has become an evening object, setting twenty-five minutes after the Sun.
Venus is at inferior conjunction on the 18th and is poorly placed for observation this month. It will become a morning object this month, rising just over an hour before the Sun at 05:10 by month’s end.
Mars continues to move away from the Sun. It rises at 00:30 at the start of month and by 23:20 by month’s end. It travels through Taurus this month and brightens from mag +0.5 at the start of the month to mag +0.3 by month’s end.
Jupiter is to be found low in the South East in Ophiuchus. At the start of the month, it sets at 01:10 and by month’s end, it sets at 23:10. It fades from mag -2.4 at the start of the month to mag -2.2 by month’s end.
Saturn is at conjunction on the 21st and is poorly placed for observation this month. At the start of the month, it sets forty minutes after the Sun at 22:05 and by month’s end, it has become a morning object. It rises fifty minutes before the Sun at 05:40.
Uranus can be found low in the South East in Aquarius. It is well placed for observation as it is at opposition next month. At the start of the month, it rises at 22:30 and by month’s end, it rises at 20:30. It brightens from mag +5.8 at the start of the month to mag +5.7 by month’s end. It remains close to Phi Aquarii, a mag +4.2 star throughout the month.
Neptune is at opposition on the 13th and is thus well placed for observation. It can found low in the South East in Capricornus. At the start of the month, it rises at 21:40 and by month’s end, it rises during daylight hours and sets at 05:00. It maintains its brightness at mag +7.8 throughout the month.
The Moon
The last quarter moon is on the 5th, the new moon is on 12th with the first quarter moon on the 20th. The full moon is on the 28th.
On the morning of the 2nd, a 88 % illuminated waning gibbous moon lies 1 degree to the North of
Uranus.
On the evening of the 6th/morning of the 7th, a 37 % illuminated waning crescent moon occults
M45 - the Pleiades. Moonrise on the 6th is at 23:30 and the occultation begins just before 01:00 and ends at around 04:00.
Mars lies 5 degrees to the South of the moon during the occultation.
On the morning of the 11th, a 3% illuminated waning crescent moon rises at 03:30 and should make for an excellent spectacle.
On the evening of the 21st, a 58% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies 3 degrees to the South West of
Antares.
Jupiter, lying North of
Antares completes the scene.
On the evening of the 26th/morning of the 27th, a waxing gibbous moon lies close to
Neptune, to the South West of the planet.
On the evening of the 28th, moonrise occurs at 20:40 approximately. Watch out for the
moon illusion effect.
On the evening of the 28th/morning of the 29th, a waning gibbous moon lies close to
Uranus, to the West of the planet.
Meteors
The main shower this month is the
Perseids. There will be no lunar interference as the moon will be only 1 day old. The peak is predicted for around 03:00 on the 13th. The ZHR for this shower is 80+.
There are also some minor showers this month. The
Alpha Capricornids peak on the 2nd with a ZHR of 5. This shower can produce long, slow fireballs although a 88 % illuminated waning gibbous moon in Aquarius could provide lunar interference.
The
Iota Aquarids peak on the 6th with a ZHR of 8. The 37 % illuminated waning crescent moon in Taurus could provide lunar interference.
The
Kappa Cygnids peak on the 18th with a ZHR of 6. This shower is also noted for producing fireballs. The waxing crescent moon sets at 21:45 meaning no lunar interference.
Asteroids
Vesta can be found in Ophiuchus. It is approximately mag +6 and has a very close encounter with Jupiter during the month (described above). It can be located by using Psi and Omega Ophiuchi, mag +4.5 and +4.4 respectively. Vesta travels Eastward along the line between these two stars in the second half of the month and between the 17th and the 19th, it passes less than a degree South of Psi Ophiuchi.
Comets
Comet Linear C/2006 VZ13 peaked at mag +7 in July and is now predicted to fade. It moves into Virgo during the month and is predicted to not be visible after midway through the month.
Weekly updates on comets can be found at
www.aerith.net
and finder charts for locating the above and other comets can be found at;
www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, the summer triangle of Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra and Altair in Aquila is prominent. Check out NGC 7000 – the North America Nebula in Cygnus. It lies 3 degrees to the East of Deneb. The globular clusters M13 and M92 can be found in Hercules. The galaxies M81, M82 and M101 can be found in Ursa Major. M31 – the Great Andromeda Galaxy can be found in Andromeda. M57 – The Ring Nebula lies to the South of Vega, roughly a quarter of the way between Vega and Altair and in Vulpecula, M27 – the Dumbbell Nebula can be located.
For further observing information, check out
www.eaas.co.uk/stargazers.html
.
General Notes
We have the return to dark skies this month with the end of Astronomical twilight. Always keep an eye out for
Aurorae. Check out
www.stronge.org.uk/spaceweather.html
for the most up-to-date information on the aurorae.
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 most commonly visible between the latitudes of 50 to 70 degrees both North and South of the Equator. Look to the North for a white/silvery glow. They can sometimes be faint, sometimes bright.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the
Zodiacal Light and the
Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The
Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky -- it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The
Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. Moonlight also hampers the view.
Finally check out
www.heavens-above.com
for the latest passes of the ISS and for details of Iridium Flare activity.
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
