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Starwatch NewsletterMinnesota Starwatch is a newsletter describing the night sky in the Midwest.
It is updated monthly, and is produced by the |
Minnesota Starwatch for August 2006
This month starts with a first quarter moon on the 2nd, a full moon appears on the 9th, last-quarter moon is on the 16th, new moon on the 23rd, and a return to first quarter on the 31st. The moon will be closest to the earth (perigee) when it is just past full on the 10th, and furthest from the earth (apogee) when it is just past new on the 26th.
Jupiter dominates the evening sky this month and is quite bright in the western evening sky. Jupiter will move lower in the sky throughout the month, and is setting as early as 10pm by the end of the month. On August 1st, the moon will be located below Jupiter. With binoculars, it is possible to see the four largest moons of Jupiter, the Galilean satellites, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. It is interesting to reflect that it was the timings of the eclipses of these satellites with Jupiter that led to the first accurate measurement of the speed of light by Roemer.
Three planets can be found in the morning sky: Venus is the very bright object int he east int he early morning. It will be somewhat north of east and close to the horizon. Over the course of the month, Venus will get closer to the Sun, so it will appear lower and lower in the sky.
If you've never seen the planet Mercury, then this August might be your chance. At the beginning of the month, Mercury can be found just below Venus. Because Mercury is fainter and closer to the horizon, it is the more difficult planet to see, but on August 7th, Mercury will be at its greatest separation from the sun (and therefore the highest it gets in the sky). On the 10th and 11th, Mercury will be just below Venus separated only by a few degrees.
Saturn enters the morning sky late in the month. On August 20th, Saturn will be within a degree of Mercury; Mercury will be the brighter of the two but closer to the horizon. On the 22nd, a very thin crescent moon is visible in the region of Venus, Saturn, and Mercury. For those with a clear eastern horizon, this might be worth getting up 30 minutes before sunrise for the view.
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 a waning gibbous moon, which means that the moon will be bright in those prime meteor shower viewing hours--the hours between midnight and dawn. NOnetheless, the brightest meteors will still be visible and their frequency will be significantly higher than on an average night. If you are watching from your remote lake cabin, you may be able to see tens of meteors per hour. However, remember to take precautions for the mosquitos.
Como Planetarium is offering fun family shows about astronomy on a limited basis; please call 651-293-5398 for more info!
The Minnesota Starwatch is produced by the University of Minnesota Astronomy Department.