The Nasa Next to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they present, each month, the astronomical shows that take place in the sky during each month.
August, the height of summer in the northern hemisphere, has several events in store for you to watch out for. We share the best ways for you to witness the wonders of the universe.
The morning parade of planets we’ve enjoyed for the past few months ends in August, with Venus and Saturn rising from opposite sides of the sky. However, there is still much to enjoy. For example: Marten and Jupiter high in the sky.
August begins with a close conjunction of the red planet, Mars, and the distant ice giant planet Uranus. Uranus can be hard to find without a telescope, but it’s an easy object for binoculars if you know where to look.
There are apps on the phone that tell you exactly where every planet and star is and what constellations you are looking at, so with the help of the phone and binoculars you can see everything that’s happening on the planet. your head, without missing anything.
On Monday, August 1, you’ll find the small bluish disc of Uranus just northwest of Mars in the morning sky. Both objects fit easily into the same field of view with binoculars.
The full moon will occur on the night of Thursday, August 11, 2022 at 9:36 p.m. EDT. The Moon will appear full for about three days, from Wednesday morning to Saturday morning. The planet Saturn will appear near the Moon. Saturn will be close to its brightest of the year, which will occur a few days later, in mid-August.
Later in the month, on the morning of the 15th, the Moon will be a fingertip away from Jupiter. Like Mars and Uranus, they’ll make an excellent pair through binoculars, and Jupiter’s four largest moons will likely be seen as well.
On August 19, the moon will move east to join the red planet. Again, you’ll need binoculars and if you’re lucky you might be able to find the Pleiades right away.
As it moves across the evening sky, Saturn transitions from a nocturnal, morning object to a night vision. It rises at nightfall in August. Look east around 9 p.m. to find it as a stable yellowish point of light. You’ll see the ringed planet rise a little earlier each night throughout the month.
Saturn is in opposition this month, which means it is directly on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. This is when the ringed planet is the largest and brightest of the year.
At the end of the month, you will begin to notice that Jupiter rises around 9:00 p.m. to join Saturn.
This means that Jupiter will perform a dual function as a nocturnal object, appearing in the eastern sky, and a morning object, appearing in the west.
Perseid meteors are an annual event that many skywatchers look forward to, as they often produce plenty of shooting stars to enjoy. Unfortunately, this year all but the brightest Perseids will be canceled out by the most prominent night of August 12 full moon.
The constellation Cygnus the Swan rises high in the eastern sky at dusk in August. Cygnus has a general shape like a T or a cross, and contains a pattern of stars, sometimes called “the Northern Cross”.
Cygnus is anchored by its brightest star, Deneb, which represents the swan’s tail. Deneb is the northernmost of the three stars in the Summer Triangle and is visible even in bright city skies. At the other end of Cygnus de Deneb is the double star Albireo, which is a favorite for stargazing, showing beautiful blues and golds even through the most modest telescope.
With additional information from NASA