Contributed by Pat Beers Block
Welcome to this month’s highlights of enjoyable evening and morning sky events!
This month, much like last month, there are a significant number of planetary, and planet/star conjunction alignments as well as the presence of the Perseid meteor shower that will keep us looking into the sky to enjoy them, even as summer temperatures soar.
One event related to this month’s moon is especially enchanting. When the August moon reaches its full moon phase, this will mark the presence of a Supermoon this month. The term Supermoon, as described in Wikipedia (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon) applies to the moon that is closest in its orbit to Earth. The result of this close proximity of moon to Earth is that the moon appears brighter and bigger that other full moons that appear in the night sky. This term is not an astronomical title but was created by an astrologist Richard Nolle in the 1970s. Typically there are three (3) to four (4) supermoons each year. This month’s Supermoon marks the first one for 2024.
Another spectacular event this month is the climax of the Perseid meteor shower, with its potential 100 meteors per hour illuminating the early morning sky. The Perseid meteor shower is an annual event during which particles from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle enter Earth’s atmosphere and ignite becoming meteors as the comet makes its way through the solar system. The meteors seem to originate near the constellation Perseus the Hero, thus giving this meteor shower its current name (see https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/).
Now that we have some insight into major events of August, and some ideas about where to best view these events, let’s get ready for this month’s celestial excitement by getting your star gazing equipment ready, your cell phones fully charged and linked to Sky Guide, Sky View Lite, or any other star gazing applications that you find useful, and you resting in your favorite viewing spot to witness the magic of the night and early morning skies!
Some fun events in August: [extracted from Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024 – Sea and Sky (seasky.org); NASA’s SKYCAL (gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL); In-The-Sky.org calendar; Highpoint Scientific (https://highpointscientific.com); starwalk.space/en/news; and Wikipedia].
Weeks 1 & 2 (August 1-10)
The astronomical month starts on Aug. 4 with a new moon, which results in a great time for stargazing since the bright side of the moon faces away from Earth and doesn’t overshadow celestial bodies and events. Of course, clouds and other weather patterns can always hinder sky views try to be aware of weather predictions as you prepare for your stargazing experience.
Also on this date, Mars and Jupiter are in conjunction (visually close to one another) to the star Aldebaran (found in the constellation Taurus as the Bull’s eye), and visible with sky binoculars. Especially interesting about this alignment is that Mars is a red planet while Aldebaran is known as a red giant star; Mars and Aldebaran will appear to be of similar brightness and color during this conjunction.
On Aug. 5, the moon and Venus will be in conjunction, as will the moon and Mercury. On Aug. 6, Venus and Mercury are in conjunction and might be seen in the eastern morning sky before sunrise. Both planets will be positioned in the constellation Leo.
On Aug. 8, the moon is in the apogee position, a spacial position where the moon is the farthest from Earth. The lunar apogee position reduces the moon’s tidal force on Earth’s tidal waters to its lowest strength.
The moon becomes a waxing (increasing) crescent body on Aug. 9, and can be observed close to the star, Spica, which is located within the constellation Virgo.
Weeks 3 (August 11-17)
Excitement starts on Aug. 12 with the annual return of the Perseid meteor shower. Although this meteor shower has been ongoing from July 17, this 100 plus meteor per hour shower is at its best done during the early morning hours, between 1am and dawn on Aug. 13. So plan your schedule to be awake during that time to observe this highly active meteor shower.
The moon enters its first quarter on Aug. 12 and appears as a half moon with the right half of the moon illuminated by the Sun’s rays. This lunar position is very conducive to viewing the Perseid meteor shower; the moon won’t overpower the sky with its light.
On Aug. 13, Messier 15 – the large cluster in the constellation Pegasus- will be visible for viewing. On Aug. 14, Messier 2 – the large cluster in the constellation Aquarius- will be visible for viewing. On this date, Jupiter and Mars will again be in conjunction with one another on this date. Additionally on this date, the moon is in occultation with the star Antares of the constellation Scorpius, meaning the moon moves in front of this star and hides it shortly as the moon orbits around the Earth.
Week 4 (August 18-24)
A full moon appears on Aug. 19. This full moon is colloquially known as the Sturgeon Moon based on the idea that fish were in abundance in the Great Lakes in August. This moon is also known as a Supermoon because it appears much larger and brighter than other lunar events. This is the first Supermoon in 2024. The evening sky, provided the sky is devoid of clouds or precipitation, will be delightfully illuminated with the entire moon face visible, and smiling at us with its always friendly and welcoming face.
On Aug. 20, the moon is in conjunction with Saturn, and can be seen in the constellation Aquarius.
On Aug. 21, the moon moves into its perigee position, a spacial position where the moon is closest to Earth. The lunar perigee position produces the strongest tidal force on Earth’s tidal waters.
Week 5 (August 25-31)
On Aug. 25, the moon will be in conjunction with Pleiades (the Seven Sisters cluster, also known as Messier 45) in the constellation Taurus.
The moon moves into its last quarter phase on Aug. 26. The moon will be illuminated on the left half of its surface.
The last events of August occur on Aug. 27 when the moon will be in conjunction with the planet Jupiter near the constellation Taurus, and on Aug. 28 when the moon will be in conjunction with the planet Mars within the constellation Taurus.
So ends the celestial highlights for August! Enjoy exploring the August sky and hopefully finding the treasures noted above. Keep looking up to the sky this month; the sky is always changing and it can entertain you for a lifetime. As you become more familiar with planets, stars, and constellations and their locations throughout the year, you are on your way to becoming an expert astronomer who can predict where different celestial bodies might be in the morning and night sky!
Until next month, keep your eyes facing the morning and evening sky to see the wonders of our universe as we Earthlings travel through it!
