AUGUST 2009 – OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
I. EARTH
SATELLITES:
Moon – New moon August 20st
1st Quarter – August 27th
Full moon – August 5th
Last quarter – August 13th
II. ARTIFICIAL
SATELLITES:
Check out Spaceweather.com for the best satellite flybys.
III. PLANETS:
MERCURY: Look for Mercury about one half hour after sunset low in the West. The inner most planet will shine at the – mag. -0.4
SATURN: Those with telescopes can grab their final evening views of Saturn in early August. The rings tilt just 2 degrees to our line of sight. And will be hard to see through the thick air near the horizon. The rings will disappear by August 10th. Saturn will return in October’s morning sky.
JUPITER: After Mercury and Saturn set, Jupiter appears low in the Southeastern horizon. Wait until late evening when it climbs higher in the sky. Jupiter reaches opposition on August. 14th. When it lies opposite the sun in our sky and shines at at a mag. of -2.9. At this time it lies closest to the earth and so appears biggest for the year. On nights 2/3 and 4/5. Jupiter appears to have five moons. The fifth being the 6th magnitude star 45 Capriconi.
NEPTUNE: You can find Neptune 2 degrees East of Jupiter on August 1st. Neptune reaches opposition and peak visibility August 17th at mag. 7.8. Neptune won’t be easy to view through binoculars.
URANUS: However, Uranus proves easy to spy through binoculars. First center Lambda Piscium in field of view, next move 4 degrees South to a pair of 6th mag. objects, which lie 1 moon width apart August. 1st. The upper object is Uranus.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARS: Spends most of August traveling Eastward through Taurus the Bull. On August 1st the red planet shines at mag. 1.1 and rises around 2:00 AM.
VENUS: 2 hours after Mars rises and more than an hour before twilight begins, Venus pokes above the North Eastern horizon. This brilliant planet crosses the length of Gemini during August. Through a telescope Venus shows a Gibbous phase all month. It shines at mag. - 4.0 and is second only to the Moon in brightness.
IV. DEEP SKY: Constellations – Enjoy the summer Triangle, Sagittarius, Hercules, Ursa Major, Ophiuchus, and many more this time of year.
V. NEBULA: The dumbbell Nebula M27 is easily seen in
binoculars. It lies in Valpecula. This
magnificent planetary nebula is very bright and large. The Ring Nebula M57 lies
in Lyra. With a filter you can also see the
veil nebula in Cygnus the Swan.
VI. CLUSTERS:
M13 in Hercules is the largest globular cluster in the Northern
Hemisphere. Look for it in Hercules’ keystone. M5 another fine
globular cluster lies in Serpens. M11, the Wild
Duck cluster is one of the richest and most compact open clusters. Lying
in Scutum, it’s one of the grandest views in the sky.
VII. GALAXIES:
M81 and M82 can be seen in the same field of view in binoculars and wide field
telescopes. Look in Ursa Major for the gems.
Check out the whirlpool galaxy M51 in Canes Venatici.
VIII. COMETS:
Check out 9th magnitude Comet 22P/Kopff as it heads slowly westward against the background stars of Aquarius.
*Don’t forget to see one of the most beautiful double stars in the heavens – Alberio in Cygnus the Swan.