Copyright © 1995–2015 by David Harper and L.M. StockmanDesigned and maintained by Obliquity
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2015/aug2015.html
Last modified on 31 July 2015
Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events.
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday | |
| 2 | Sunday | Moon at perigee |
| 3 | Monday | |
| 4 | Tuesday | |
| 5 | Wednesday | Moon occults Uranus: visible from the southern tip of South America, beginning around 08:00 UT. |
| 6 | Thursday | |
| 7 | Friday | Last Quarter Moon |
| 8 | Saturday | Moon occults Aldebaran: visible from eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East and Russia, beginning around 21:40 UT. |
| 9 | Sunday | |
| 10 | Monday | |
| 11 | Tuesday | |
| 12 | Wednesday | |
| 13 | Thursday | Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko at perihelion |
| The nearly New Moon leaves observations of the Perseid meteor shower free from lunar interference. There may be two peaks, one around 18:00 UT yesterday and another starting 06:30 UT today. | ||
| 14 | Friday | New Moon |
| 15 | Saturday | Venus at inferior conjunction |
| 16 | Sunday | |
| 17 | Monday | |
| 18 | Tuesday | Moon apogee |
| 19 | Wednesday | |
| 20 | Thursday | |
| 21 | Friday | Saturn at east quadrature |
| 22 | Saturday | First Quarter Moon |
| 23 | Sunday | |
| 24 | Monday | |
| 25 | Tuesday | |
| 26 | Wednesday | Jupiter at solar conjunction |
| 27 | Thursday | |
| 28 | Friday | |
| 29 | Saturday | Full Moon |
| 30 | Sunday | Moon at perigee |
| 31 | Monday | |
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. Dwarf planets and small solar-system bodies, including comets, are not so constrained, often moving far above or below the ecliptic.
The closest planet to the Sun vaults into the western sky after sunset for observers in southern latitudes. However, from the northern hemisphere it is a much poorer apparition.
Our sister world is at inferior conjunction on 15 August. The evening star disappears early in the month, lingering slightly longer as observed from the southern hemisphere, only to reappear very late in August as the morning star.
67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko Taurus → Gemini
This comet reaches perihelion on 13 August, accompanied by the orbiting spacecraft Rosetta and the landing craft Philae. Will Philae reawaken to reveal more cometary secrets?
The red planet is a morning sky object, rising just ahead of the Sun.
Jupiter Leo
Like its inner solar system neighbour, Jupiter is at solar conjunction this month, although in this case it's superior conjunction. And like Venus, the king of the planets vanishes in the evening twilight early in the month.
Saturn Libra
Quadrature is an excellent time to observe this planet because the shadows cast by the planet's disc, its rings and its satellites are at their most elongated. East quadrature occurs on 21 August.
Uranus Pisces
A few residents in southernmost reaches of South America may see the Moon occult this green ice-giant on 5 August. Uranus rises mid-evening and is aloft for the rest of the night.
Neptune Aquarius
A small telescope is necessary to view the most distant planet in the solar system and this is the best time to look because Neptune is at opposition early next month, meaning it's at its closest and brightest.
Copyright © 1995–2015 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman