The moon is just past full as the month opens, reaching last quarter Aug. 5. Two days later, the moon is among the Pleiades (the Seven Sisters) with Uranus, then, Aug. 9, Mars is four degrees south. Perigee is when the moon is at its closest orbital point to Earth; this occurs on Aug. 10, when our satellite is 363,284 kilometres away.
The following day, Mercury is two degrees south of a very slender moon. New moon is Aug. 12, which is a total solar eclipse over the North Atlantic Ocean and Spain. The lack of an interfering moon on the night of the Perseid meteor shower will be welcomed by viewers. Aug. 16, Venus is two degrees north of the waxing crescent moon. Aug. 21 sees Antares only 0.6 degrees north of the just-passed first-quarter moon. Apogee is when the moon is at its orbital farthest from Earth Aug. 22, at 404,642 km. The moon is full near midnight Aug. 27, which generates a partial lunar eclipse. This might be a good reason to stay up for late-night photo op, as most of the moon’s disk will be in shadow.
Mercury makes for a great viewing opportunity for the Northern Hemisphere. In the morning sky, close to nearby Jupiter, the speedy planet is joined by the moon Aug. 11. By Aug. 15, Jupiter is less than half a degree away from Mercury. If you’ve never seen Mercury before, this is a great opportunity, using Jupiter as your guide.
Venus remains bright as the Evening Star, but hugs the horizon. It can be seen in twilight, as the sun begins to set. The moon slides by Aug. 15.
Mars is quite visible in the eastern dawn sky, among the stars of Taurus, The Bull. As the month progresses, the moon enters the scene Aug. 9 and Mars moves eastward into Gemini, The Twins. The cluster M35 is in conjunction with Mars Aug. 16.
Jupiter is too close to the sun for the first part of the month, but becomes increasingly visible in the east before morning twilight. Mercury is very close Aug. 15, just west of the Beehive Cluster in Cancer, The Crab.
Saturn, in Pisces, The Fish, rises in the east shortly before midnight. Neptune hovers close by all month, and the moon joins them on Aug. 3 and again Aug. 31.
Uranus rises close to midnight among the stars of Taurus. The moon slides by Aug. 7.
Neptune, in Pisces, is leading Saturn across the night sky, only 10 degrees apart, and the waning moon makes for a trio Aug. 3.
The Perseid meteors peak the night of Aug. 12. That’s when Earth passes through the cloud of tiny particles left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle in its many passes by the sun. It has been confirmed that the earliest sighting was over 2,100 years ago, returning approximately every 130 years. The comet is next due to appear in 2126.
James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000, was national president for two terms, is now the editor of the Observer’s Handbook, and production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. The IAU named asteroid 1995 XC5 “(22421) Jamesedgar” in his honour and he is a Fellow of the RASC.
