Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
There are no eclipses this month.
As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Cancer to the constellation Leo.
The phases of the Moon are
| Full : |
4 August
|
| Last Quarter : |
12 August
|
| New : |
19 August
|
| First Quarter : |
25 August
|
The Moon is at apogee on 4 August and at perigee on 19 August. Higher than normal tides can be expected because of the coincidence of perigee with New Moon.
Two planets disappear behind the Moon this month but both events occur during daylight hours. Saturn goes first on 14 August and Jupiter disappears briefly the next day.
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Mercury is at superior conjunction with the Sun on 5 August and moves from the morning sky to the evening. This apparition will be better in the southern hemisphere than the northern. Look for it later in the month as it moves through the constellations Cancer, Leo and Virgo, passing close by the bright star Regulus mid-month.
- Venus
- Venus and Jupiter are especially close together in the early morning hours of 5 August. However, smaller Venus is much the brighter of the two and claims the title of "morning star." Earth's twin is in the constellations Ophiuchus, Gemini and Cancer.
- Mars
- The red planet is an evening sky object in the constellation Ophiuchus. Compare its colour with that of the nearby star Antares.
- Jupiter
- Rising at about 2 am, Jupiter has a close encounter with Venus on 5 August. Although Jupiter is much the larger planet, it is the fainter of the two objects. This event can be seen in the constellation Gemini.
- Saturn
- Saturn rises around midnight in the constellation Taurus.
- Uranus
- Uranus reaches opposition on 15 August. This is the best time of the year to look for this gas giant, shining a feeble sixth magnitude in the constellation Capricornus.
- Neptune
- Neptune can be seen through a telescope all night in the constellation Capricornus.
- Pluto
- Pluto sets just before midnight in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it. It resumes prograde motion on 22 August.
- Minor Planets
- A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
- Comets
- There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
- Meteors
- Unfortunately, the Last Quarter Moon will interfere with the famous Perseids which peak about 14 UT on 12 August.
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA. Used with permission.
Copyright © 1995-2001 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
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Last modified on 31 July 2001
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