The Moon
Last Quarter ---- 3rd up from 23:11 to 15:04
New --------------- 10th up from 06:03 to 20:29
First Quarter --- 16th up from 14:24 to 22:34
Full ---------------- 24th up from 29:42 to 05:48
We’re well past the longest day now and nights are getting longer and darker and we’ll soon be past the likelihood of seeing Noctilucent Clouds. The Summer Triangle is well up and all the southern sights towards the middle of the galaxy that latitude allows us to see are available, if the horizon haze permits. So make the most of them, M. Messier did.
The Planets
The scene depicted in July, continues, with Mercury getting too close to the Sun by the 15th to be safe to seek with binoculars. It’ll be presenting a 27% phase then, having reduced from 56% on the 1st. Comet 2P/Enke will be 6° away at mag 7, but very close to the horizon in bright twilight, so almost impossible. Saturn holds station all month, in Virgo, close to the star Zaniah, but Mars and Venus move southwards, till by the end of August, they’ll have put 16° between them and Saturn, though all three set at the same time, 40 mins after the Sun. It will be only the brightness of Venus, at mag –4.4, that shines through the twilight to be seen naked eye. The others, Mars at mag 1.5 and Saturn at mag 1.0, will have to be sought with binoculars, when the sun has set, some 25° further north. The phase of Venus will change from 58% on the 1st, to 42% on the 31st. Mercury will have moved over to the other side of the Sun and have set before it, so is out of contention.
On the other side of the sky, Neptune rises at 9:40pm, on the 1st of August, and will be there for the rest of the night, having slipped over the border into Aquarius. It’ll rise at 7:40pm, by the 31st, promising better observing opportunities. Similarly, Jupiter and Uranus will be up together soon after, at 10:40pm on the 1st, and at 8:40pm on the 31st, so they should be worth photographing, with a webcam, particularly Jupiter, after midnight this month. Jupiter will be taking Saturn’s place as the planet to study for the next few months. Keep your webcams ready.
Meteors. This is August so it must be the Perseids, 90 ZHR, on the 12th. The peak is at 10ish that night and the Moon will be co-operating by setting by 9pm, so tonight's the night. Get your garden loungers out, dress up warmly and hope the clouds give you a clear sky. Record what you see or take pictures, by laying your camera on something solid, pointing directly up and take a series of 30sec exposures, automatically if your camera can, whenever the sky is clear. focused on infinity, ISO 1600. Use a wide angle lens, shorter than 50mm if you can. And hope.
Satellites
For sightings of the ISS at a reasonable hour you’ll have to wait till the 25th as all sightings till then are after 1am, and then they’ll be low in the south. But take a look at Chris Peat’s site http://www.heavens-above.com for details of late night passes.
26th From 21:13 in the SW up to 17° high in the SW. Mag –1.5
27th From 20:15 in the SSW up to 24° high in the SSE. Mag –2.3
28th From 20:41 in the SW up to 41° high in the SSE. Mag -3.1
29th From 21:08 in the WSW up to 52° high in the SSW. Mag –3.3
30th From 19:59 in the WSW up to 43° high in the SSW. Mag –3.1
30th From 21:34 in the W up to 28° high in the WSW. Mag –1.9
There are lots and lots of Iridium Flares this month, so some examples.
3rd at 21:29:25 10° up in the north. Mag –1
3rd at 22:10:14 18° up in the WNW. Mag –5
4th at 21:32:39 10° up in the north. Mag 0
4th at 21:50:05 19° up in the west. Mag –2
4th at 22:13:28 16° up in the WNW. Mag –6.0
Go to http://www.heavens-above.com for more Iridium Flares and ISS passages, and lots of other satellite passages.
As always, if you need sky charts for things up there, ask the Observatory at http://www.donastro.org.uk