In The Sky This Month

Red Barn Observatory MPC/IAU3 H68

Established 2006

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In The Sky This Month

August - 2007

The conjunction of Venus and Saturn last month was spectacular, but now the two are slowly falling into evening twilight. The mighty Jupiter will now dominate all other planets in the sky for the next few weeks. To find Jupiter, simply face the south about an hour after dark and find the brightest "star like" object in the sky. That will be Jupiter! Through a small telescope, the four brightest moons of Jupiter (Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, and IO) are easily seen. Also minor detail of Jupiter's bands and clouds should be visible.

On the night of 12/13, the annual Perseid meteors will pay us a visit. Perseid meteor activity begins July 17 and ends around August 24. The peak of the shower will be during the night of August 12/13 when Earth passes through the path of Comet Swift-Tuttle. This years meteor rates are expected to be from 50 to 60 per hour - or more. The meteors will appear to come from the constellation Perseus and should begin to make their appearance around 11 P.M. EST, with the best viewing after 2 A.M.

Finally, during the night of August 28 we will be able to witness a total lunar eclipse. The Earth is perfectly aligning between the Sun and moon causing the moon to pass through Earth's shadow. Due to this reason, we see a "Red Moon". The eclipse will begin around 3:50 A.M. EST, but the best viewing will be at around 5:50 A.M. EST when the moon begins to pass through the deepest part of Earth's shadow.

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Last modified 07/23/2007 09:08 PM -0400

This web site has been active since March 1, 2006

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