Tech Astronomy Club
August brings us one of the best annual meteor showers, the Perseids. This is a fairly reliable shower; however, this year, there are a couple of mitigating factors. The first is that the origin of the shower, comet Swift-Tuttle, last passed this way in the early 1990s. The result is the debris trail has thinned considerably, resulting in fewer meteors. The second factor is this year, a waning last-quarter moon will make counting meteors more difficult. The best nights for viewing the Perseids will be Aug. 11 to 12 and 12 to 13. It should be noted that this shower will show some activity for several days before and after the peak.
As Saturn’s rings approach being edge on, those of us with a good view of the western horizon, clear skies and a good small telescope may be able to watch the progression of ring closure for the first half of the month. After that, the planet will be too low on the horizon and lost in the bright glare of sunset.
Mercury puts in a brief appearance in the early evening sky from Aug. 6 through 18. Look for it about 5 degrees above the western horizon about a half-hour after sunset.
Jupiter will begin its dominance in the night sky by rising in the early evening twilight low in the southeast. It reaches opposition from the sun Aug. 14 and will be visible all night long. At magnitude -2.9, it should offer great late-night viewing of its atmospheric features for those with small telescopes.
Mars rises around midnight and will be best viewed in the morning sky about an hour before sunrise. At magnitude +1.0, the red planet will appear as red dot. Venus, on the other hand, will continue to dazzle us, blazing away at magnitude -4! Binoculars or a small telescope will reveal that close to 75 percent of the cloud-covered planet will be illuminated.
The moon will be full Aug. 5, last quarter Aug. 13, new Aug. 20 and first quarter Aug. 27. Looking east one hour before sunrise Aug. 16 and 17, the moon will help you to find Mars and Venus. On Aug. 27, the waxing first-quarter moon will occult (pass in front of) the bright star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. This will be visible for most of North America, but the challenge will be that it is a daytime event! Nevertheless, it should be easily visible with a good pair of binoculars. For timing information for your area, log on to www. lunar-occultations.com/iota/ bstar/0827antares.htm.
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