August 2002

By Steve Stefanik

Astronomically, the month of August is synonymous with the annual Perseid meteor showers. Every year at this time the earth passes through the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle which has left a trail of debris over the centuries and "rains" down upon us in the form of bright fast streaks of colored light we call meteors or "shooting stars". This year should be no different except the viewing conditions should be better than last year because a waxing crescent moon won’t interfere with viewing them. Although the showers began on July 17 and will continue until August 24, the peak will occur in the early morning hours of August 12 when as many as 60-70 meteors per hour may be spotted. Look in the general direction of the constellation Perseus in the north-northeast after midnight near the big "W" of the constellation Cassiopeia.

The August evening sky is relatively devoid of planets compared to this spring’s conjunction of the five "naked-eye" planets. The planet Venus still reigns supremely in the western sky at dusk however. You might mistake this –4.3 magnitude meanderer for a jetliner coming in for a landing with its lights on. It reaches it’s greatest elongation from the sun (46 degrees) on the 21^st but it doesn’t "translate" into exceptional altitude above the horizon (only 18 degrees) because it is positioned to the left or east of the sun rather than above it. It sets only two hours after the sun.

The planet Mercury also makes a feeble attempt at an apparition this month when it reaches greatest elongation on the 31^st , but it is very low on the southwestern horizon. You’ll need an unobstructed view and a clear sky to catch a glimpse of this "speedy little devil" because it sets within one hour of the sun.

The planets Neptune and Uranus both reach opposition this month which means they are "visible" from sundown to sunup but you’ll need binoculars or a small telescope to locate them. Neptune is the first to rise and reached opposition on the night of August 1^st. To spot this bluish gray +7.8 magnitude star-like object among the stars of western Capricorn you’ll need a telescope with moderate to high magnification. Uranus reaches opposition on the night of the 19^th . It is much easier to locate this +5.7 magnitude bluish green orb with a good pair of binoculars in eastern Capricorn.

If you are up before dawn you can also catch an early glimpse of the ringed planet Saturn as it is rising in the east along with the constellation Taurus.

The planet Jupiter makes its way out of the early morning "murk" in late August but it is very low on the eastern horizon. It will be within a degree and a half of M44 the "beehive" star cluster in the constellation Cancer.

The planet Mars is in conjunction with the sun on the 10^th and is not visible in the month of August.