Minnesota Starwatch for August 2005
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Starwatch Newsletter

Minnesota Starwatch is a newsletter describing the night sky in the Midwest.

It is updated monthly, and is produced by the
Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota
116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Minnesota Starwatch for August 2005

Hello, this is Minnesota Starwatch for August 2005. This month starts with the moon fast waning and a new moon on the 4th. First quarter moon is on the 12th, a full moon appears on the 19th and last-quarter moon is on the 26th. The moon will be furthest from the earth (apogee) when it is new on the 4th, and closest to the earth (perigee) when it is full on the 19th. The last quarter moon will pass quite close to the Pleiades on the night of the 25th. There are 3 bright planets in the evening sky this month. Venus is the very bright object in the west at dusk. It will be almost due west and close to the horizon at the beginning of the month, and will slowly shift to a more southern position over the course of the month. On the evening of August 7th, the Moon will be less than 2 degrees (or 4 moon diameters) away from Venus. This should be a spectacular pairing. Jupiter is also quite bright and higher in the western evening sky. Jupiter will move lower in the sky throughout the month, and ends the month very close to Venus. On August 31st, Jupiter and Venus will be separated by only 1.5 degrees. Remember, Venus will be the brighter of the two. Mars is also visible in the evening sky, but you have to turn around and stay up a bit later to see it. At the beginning of the month, Mars will be rising in the east at about midnight, and just after the end of the evening news by the end of the month. Of course your other option is to get up early in the morning; Mars will be due south around 5 a.m., and moving westward until sunrise. If you're up early to look at Mars, you can look for Saturn in the east in the early morning sky. And, if you've never seen the planet Mercury, then this August might be your chance. On August 24th, Mercury is at its greatest separation from the Sun, and thus will rise 1.5 hours before the Sun. At the beginning of the month, Mercury is not visible, but by the end of the month, it is brighter than Saturn. Finally, August is the month of the Perseid meteor shower. For Minnesotans, watching some of the best meteor showers can be a bit of a challenge as many of them occur during the winter months, and staying outside after midnight in December is not always a great idea. However, the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on the nights of August 11th and 12th, offers better viewing temperatures. This year, the Perseids occur during first quarter moon, so by the time midnight rolls around, and prime meteor viewing starts, the moon will be below the horizon. If you are watching from your remote lake cabin with exceptionally dark skies, you may be able to see tens of meteors per hour. However, remember to take precautions for the mosquitoes.

For fun Astronomy Outreach programs check out our Public Outreach link, or if you're interested in how you can help build the new Minnesota Planetarium, please call 612-630-6151 or visit http://www.mplanetarium.org. Como Planetarium is offering fun family shows about astronomy on a limited basis; please call 651-293-5398 for more info! This has been a Minnesota Starwatch produced by the University of Minnesota Astronomy Department.