You can see the planets, the Perseids and Cygnus meteor showers in August. Here’s what NASA says.
Do you like to watch the sky? August has come and you can spot a lot of things in space. You can spot two planets in the morning sky, gawk at the Perseids meteor shower, etc. About the same announcement NASA tweeted, “Seeing two planets in the morning sky, look. Staring at the Perseids meteor shower and down with Cygnus (the constellation.) Here’s what else is in the night sky this August: https://go.nasa.gov/37ePy0B.” Now all you All you need to do is grab your binoculars to see the planet, Perseids outlook and fly with the swan Cygnus.
NASA in a report announced that the morning planetary parade we’ve enjoyed for the past few months will end in August, with Venus and Saturn appearing on opposite sides of the sky. But that still leaves Mars and Jupiter up high to enjoy. “August, in fact, begins with the close conjunction of the Red Planet and the distant ice giant Uranus. You might have a hard time finding Uranus without a self-guided telescope, but it does. is an easy object for binoculars to find if you know where to look, and the agency says that on the first day, you’ll find the small blue disk of Uranus just northwest of Mars in the sky. morning. They will easily fit in the same field of view through binoculars”.
In addition, at dawn on August 15, you will see the Moon just a knuckle away from Jupiter. Like Mars and Uranus, they’ll make a wonderful pairing through binoculars, and you’ll also be able to catch a glimpse of Jupiter’s four largest moons. The Moon will then join Mars on August 19. This is another great pairing for binoculars, plus you’ll find this pair super close to the Pleiades – you can even mount them all them to the same point of view.
Also read: NASA’s plan to bring back rock samples on Mars is revealed
Moving into the evening sky, Saturn is transitioning from a late-night and early-morning object to an all-night spectacle. It is rising as night falls in August. Look low to the east around 9 p.m. to see it as a steady, golden spot of light. You will find that the Ring Planet rises a little earlier each night during the month.
Saturn in August is directly opposite the Earth from the Sun. NASA says that’s around the time when the Ring Planet appears its biggest and brightest of the year. Towards the end of the month, you’ll start to notice Jupiter rising around 9pm in conjunction with Saturn. “This means Jupiter will perform a dual mission as an object in the early evening, appearing in the eastern sky, and an early morning, appearing in the west,” NASA said.
The Perseid Meteor is an annual event that many skywatchers look forward to, as they often produce plenty of meteors to enjoy. Unfortunately, this year, all the brightest Perseids will be washed away by the full moon on the night of the peak of August 12.
You’ll find the constellation Cygnus, the swan, high in the eastern sky after dark in August. Cygnus has an overall shape resembling the letter T or cross and contains a star shape sometimes referred to as the “Northern Cross”. NASA said, “Cygnus is anchored by its brightest star, Deneb, which represents the swan’s tail. Deneb is the northern pole of the three stars in the Summer Triangle and it is visible even in the sky. On the other end of Cygnus from Deneb is the double star Albireo, a favorite stargazing, as it displays beautiful blues and yellows through even the humblest telescope.”
Now, Cygnus lies right along the plane of the Milky Way, so it’s dense with twinkling stars and clouds of dark dust, of great interest to telescope observers and photographers. astrophotography, including the North American Nebula, the Veil Nebula, and the Planet Blink Nebula. It also includes the open star clusters M29 and M39, which can be seen with binoculars.
