August skies

Posted on 2007 January 01 @ 00:01 - filed under Astronomy.

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Mercury is marginally visible in the morning sky for the first week, reaching superior conjunction on the 15th. It reappears in the evening sky during the closing days of the month. Venus is in the evening sky until mid-August, reaching inferior conjunction on the 18th. From the fourth week Venus is in the morning sky. Mars is visible in the morning sky, rising after midnight. Jupiter is in the evening sky, setting well after midnight. Saturn is in the evening sky for the first week before being lost in the solar glare.

Early evening, Crux and the Pointers are high up in the south, Achernar and Fomalhaut low towards the south-east. Facing north-east, Vega (to the left) and Altair (to the right) are prominent. In the north-west, Arcturus can be seen, while high up facing west, Spica (in Virgo) is obvious. Overhead, Scorpius and Jupiter are prominent. The Milky Way runs south-west to north-east through the zenith. Around midnight, Crux is low towards the south, while Acherar and Fomalhaut are prominent in the north-east. Pegasus can be seen in the north-east, while Deneb (in Cygnus) is prominent above the northern horizon. High above lies Altair, and lower down near the western horizon is Lyra (in Vega) forming an obvious large triangle. Facing west, Scorpius and Jupiter are prominent, with the Milky Way passing westward of the zenith, running roughly north-south. Before sunrise Crux remains low in the south, while Achernar and Canopus lie high up. Sirius shines brightly above the eastern horizon, with Orion to the left. Below Orion is Procyon (Canis Minor). In the north-east, Gemini rises feet-first. Further north, Capella (in Auriga) is near the horizon, while above it, Aldebaran (with Mars nearby) and the Pleiades are prominent. Pegasus is setting in the north-west, while facing west, Fomalhaut is obvious.

August events

Day	Event
01	Helen Sawyer Hogg's birthday (1905).
02	Uranus near the Moon (1.7°).
03	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.2 arcmin east at 19h).
04	Anniversary of the first sighting of supernova SN 1181, visible at night for about 185 days in Cassiopeia, in 1181.
04	Mercury at perihelion (third of four occurrences in 2007).
04	Moon at perigee.
04	Southern iota Aquarids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Jul 25-Aug 15 (parent body unknown).
05	Last Quarter Moon (23: 20).
06	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (9.1 arcmin west at 15h).
07	Jupiter stationary.
07	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.1 arcmin west at 09h).
08	Moon in Auriga for about 24 hours.
08	Northern delta Aquarids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Jul 15-Aug 25 (parent body unknown).
09	Venus in conjunction with Saturn.
09	Moon northernmost declination this month (+29.1°).
09	Venus at aphelion (only occurrence in 2007).
10	Anniversary of the arrival in 1990 of Magellan at Venus, the first space craft to use aerobraking (lowering its orbit by using the planet's atmosphere).
10	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.1 arcmin east at 21h).
10	Periodic comet 125P/Spacewatch reaches perihelion (period 5.53 years).
11	Pollux near the Moon (3.1°).
12	Mercury near the Moon (0.2°).
12	Minor planet (192) Nausikaa (mag=10.5) occults star TYC 7393-00187-1 (mag= 11.3) at 21:11.
13	Neptune at opposition, best time for observing.
13	New Moon (01: 03).
13	Regulus near the Moon (0.2°).
13	Saturn near the Moon (0.4°). Occulted during late-afternoon.
14	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.0 arcmin west at 11h).
14	Solar rotation number 2060 starts.
15	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.8 arcmin east at 01h).
15	Mercury at superior conjunction.
16	Minor planet (535) Montague occults star TYC 6170-01234-1 (mag= 10.5) at 22:00.
16	Venus exits Sextans (July 30 - August 16) into Hydra.
17	Venus at greatest elongation W (08°).
17	Venus enters Hydra (August 17 - 23) from Sextans.
18	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.0 arcmin east at 02h).
18	Mercury and Saturn come within 0.5° (28 arcmin) of each other. The planets are only about 3° from the Sun, so this appulse won't be visible to the naked eye.
18	Mercury near Saturn (0.4°).
18	Spica near the Moon (1.8°).
18	Venus in inferior conjunction.
19	John Flamsteed's birthday (1646).
19	Mercury near Regulus (1.2°).
19	Moon at apogee.
20	Northern iota Aquarids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Aug 11-Aug 31 (parent body unknown).
21	First Quarter Moon (03: 54).
21	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.9 arcmin west at 16h).
22	Antares near the Moon (0.7°), occultation seen from Antarctica, southern oceans and New Zealand.
22	Jupiter near the Moon (5.7°).
22	Moon in Ophiuchus for about 21 hours.
22	Saturn at conjunction.
23	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.7 arcmin west at 10h).
23	Mars near Aldebaran (4.6°).
23	Moon southernmost declination this month (-28.2°).
23	Venus exits Hydra into Leo.
24	Jupiter's moons attractively arranged, two on either side, in a "classic" configuration (from 20h onward).
25	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.9 arcmin east at 06h).
27	Neptune near the Moon (1.2°).
28	Full Moon (12: 35).
28	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.8 arcmin west at 20h).
28	Total eclipse of the Moon. Visible in the Americas except the eastern part of South America and the north-eastern parts of North America, the Pacific Ocean, eastern parts of Asia, Australasia and Antarctica.
29	Uranus near the Moon (1.7°).
31	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.4 arcmin east at 18h).
31	Moon at perigee.

Constellations

Constellations visible from Southern Africa at 21:00 SAST (* = overhead):

Apus, Aquarius, Aquila, Ara*, Capricornus, Carina, Centaurus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Corona Australis*, Crux, Cygnus, Delphinus, Dorado, Equuleus, Grus, Hercules, Hydrus, Indus, Libra*, Lupus*, Lyra, Mensa, Microscopium, Musca, Norma*, Octans, Ophiuchus, Pavo, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Reticulum, Sagitta, Sagittarius*, Scorpius*, Scutum, Serpens, Telescopium*, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Volans, Vulpecula.

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