Easiest night sky events of August 2021 (stargazing maps)

Gape what’s up within the night sky for August 2021, at the side of stargazing events and the moon’s phases, in this House.com gallery courtesy of Starry Night Utility.

Associated: House calendar 2021: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & extra 


 

Sunday, Aug. 1 — Crescent moon near Uranus (earlier than first gentle)

When the waning crescent moon rises within the Americas at about 12: 30 a.m. native time on Sunday morning, Aug. 1, it’d be positioned a total lot of finger widths below (or 3.5 degrees to the celestial southeast) of the magnitude 5.8 planet Uranus. Early risers in Europe and Africa will sight the pair nearer together. Whereas Uranus can in most cases be viewed without distress in binoculars (red circle), expose its space between the celebrities of Aries and Cetus, and witness it on an night when the vivid moon has moved away.

Sunday, Aug. 1 — Double shadow transit and Jupiter’s Sizable Purple Intention (1009-1020 GMT)  

On the morning of Sunday, Aug. 1, observers with telescopes within the western half of North The united states and the Pacific Ocean space can sight a rare match on Jupiter! At 3: 30 a.m. CDT (0830 GMT) the Sizable Purple Intention will almost definitely be a part of the round murky shadow solid by Jupiter’s moon Ganymede while it’s crossing Jupiter’s disk. At 5: 09 a.m. CDT (1009 GMT), Europa’s smaller shadow will almost definitely be a part of them. About 12 minutes later, Ganymede’s shadow will total its transit and go, leaving the GRS and Europa’s shadow to ghastly till about 8 a.m. CDT (1300 GMT). In extra easterly time zones, the sun will upward thrust earlier than the match has ended.

Monday, Aug. 2 — Saturn at opposition (all night)

In some unspecified time in the future of the wee hours of Monday, Aug. 2 within the Americas, Saturn will reach opposition among the many celebrities of central Capricornus. Objects at opposition are viewed all night lengthy — rising at sunset and environment at spoil of day — because Earth is positioned between them and the sun. At opposition, Saturn will almost definitely be at a distance of 830.6 million miles, 1.337 billion km, or 74.3 gentle-minutes from Earth, and it would shine at magnitude of 0.18 — its brightest for 2021. Whereas planets at opposition the least bit times search their brightest, Saturn’s peak magnitude 0.18 will almost definitely be enhanced by the Seeliger blueprint, backscattered daylight hours from its rings. In a telescope (inset) Saturn will tag an obvious disk diameter of 18.6 arc-seconds, and its rings will subtend 43.3 arc-seconds. Saturn’s rings will almost definitely be tilting extra edge-on to us yearly till the spring of 2025. This 365 days they are already closed sufficient for Saturn’s southern polar space to lengthen past them. Opposition is mostly a handsome time to gaze a handful of Saturn’s moons with a yard telescope in a melancholy sky.

Wednesday, Aug. 4 — Juno stands silent (overnight)

On the night of Wednesday, Aug. 4, the foremost belt asteroid designated (3) Juno will total a westerly retrograde loop all the map in which by the celebrities of central Ophiuchus. After standing silent tonight, it would return to traveling prograde eastward. To sight the magnitude 10.7 object, goal your telescope 2.3 degrees above and between the vivid stars Saik and Yed Posterior, which outline the lower correct (southwestern) corner of the Serpent-Bearer’s body.

Friday, Aug. 6 — Milky Methodology superstar clusters (all night)

With the moon impending its new part, this weekend’s darker evenings will almost definitely be very very most attention-grabbing to explore the endless knots and clumps of stars disbursed along the Milky Methodology, many of which discover been integrated in Charles Messier’s checklist of the sky’s simplest deep sky objects. Scan with binoculars to space the objects, and then observe up with a yard telescope at low magnification. Severely factual clusters embody Messier 39 and Messier 29 in Cygnus, Caldwell 16 in Lacerta, the Wild Duck cluster (Messier 11) and Messier 26 in Scutum, and the Sagittarius Extensive title Cloud (Messier 24).

Sunday, Aug. 8 — Double shadow transit on Jupiter (1245-1420 GMT)

In the wee hours of Sunday, Aug. 8 observers with telescopes within the Pacific Ocean and Japanese Asia areas can sight the round, murky shadows of two of Jupiter’s moons float all the map in which by that planet together. At 12: 45 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (1045 GMT), Ganymede’s shadow will launch to observe the Sizable Purple Intention all the map in which by Jupiter. At 2: 45 a.m. HST (1245 GMT), Europa’s smaller shadow will launch to ghastly. Ganymede’s shadow will pass off the planet at 4: 20 a.m. HST (1420 GMT). Europa’s shadow will total its transit an hour later, exact as the Ganymede itself clears Jupiter’s limb.

Sunday, Aug. 8 — Contemporary moon (1350 GMT)

The moon will reach its new part on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 9: 50 a.m. EDT (1350 GMT). Whereas new, the moon is traveling between Earth and the sun. Since daylight hours can simplest reach the some distance aspect of the moon, and the moon is within the same space of the sky as the sun, the moon turns into unobservable from wherever on Earth for approximately a day (excluding all the map in which by a solar eclipse). After the new moon part Earth’s planetary partner will return to shine within the western sky after sunset.

Tuesday, Aug. 10 — Crescent moon near Venus (after sunset)

Be aware exact above the western horizon after sunset on Tuesday, Aug. 10 to sight the young crescent moon colorful a palm’s width to the correct (or 6.5 degrees to the celestial northwest) of the extremely vivid planet Venus. On the following night, the orbital motion of the moon will shift it the same distance to Venus’ better left (celestial east). In some unspecified time in the future of August, the vastly tilted ecliptic (inexperienced line) will stay Venus from mountain climbing very high for mid-Northern latitude skywatchers.

Thursday, Aug. 12 — Perseid Meteor Bathe peak (predawn)

The spectacular Perseid meteor bathe, which runs between July 17 and  26 yearly, will peak all the map in which by mid-day within the Americas on Thursday, Aug. 12. That map that the very most attention-grabbing time for seeing the most Perseid meteors in North The united states would possibly possibly be the hours earlier than first gentle on Thursday morning, when the bathe’s exquisite in Perseus will almost definitely be absolute best within the northeastern sky. Here is the most new bathe of the 365 days, delivering up to 100 meteors per hour on the height. Derived from particles dropped by Comet Swift-Tuttle, many Perseids are extremely vivid and slump away chronic trails. Though fewer meteors are viewed earlier than and after the height, skywatchers would possibly possibly possibly well query to sight a great deal of meteors on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night. To ride meteor showers, bag a stable rural space with a great deal of start sky and exact search up. This 365 days, the young crescent moon will space rapidly after sunset on the height date — leaving the entire night sad for meteor-watching.

Sunday, Aug. 15 — Three shadows dance all the map in which by Jupiter (1442-1820 GMT)

On the night of Sunday, Aug. 15 observers with telescopes all the map in which by Asia can peek three of the puny murky shadows solid by Jupiter’s moons as they ghastly the planet’s disk in a complicated dance. At 11: 42 p.m. Japan Standard Time (1442 GMT), Ganymede’s shadow will pass onto Jupiter, becoming a member of Callisto’s shadow. They would possibly possibly possibly well appear together for approximately 10 minutes till Callisto’s shadow completes its occupy transit at 11: 52 p.m. JST. At 12: 08 a.m. Ganymede itself will launch to pass onto Jupiter, and at 12: 16 a.m. JST (1316 GMT) Europa’s smaller shadow will appear at Jupiter’s limb. The 2 shadows will ghastly Jupiter till 3: 20 a.m. JST (1820 GMT). In the meantime, Europa’s faster-transferring shadow will overtake and merge with Ganymede’s shadow for a total lot of minutes surrounding 2: 24 a.m. JST (1724 GMT). 

Sunday, Aug. 15 — First quarter moon (1519 GMT)

When the moon completes the foremost quarter of its travel round Earth on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 11: 19 a.m. EDT (1519 GMT), its 90-degree attitude some distance from the sun will trigger us to sight the moon half-illuminated — on its jap aspect. Firstly quarter, the moon the least bit times rises round noon and items round nighttime, so it would possibly possibly probably be viewed within the afternoon daylight hours sky. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the very most attention-grabbing ones for seeing the lunar terrain when it’s dramatically lit by low-attitude daylight hours, especially along the terminator, the pole-to-pole boundary between the lit and sad hemispheres. 

Wednesday, Aug. 18 — Mercury exact misses Mars (after sunset)

On Wednesday, Aug. 18, the rapid eastward orbital motion of Mercury (red direction) will elevate it very carefully past Mars, allowing both planets to allotment a blurry eyepiece gaze in a yard telescope (red circle) — nevertheless expend optics simplest after the sun has fully space. Magnitude -0.46 Mercury will almost definitely be eight times brighter than Mars. On Wednesday, Mercury will almost definitely be positioned 9 arc-minutes to the lower correct (southwest of) the red planet. The next night, witness Mercury positioned 1 degree to Mars’ better left. This conjunction is now not going to be viewed without distress at mid-northerly latitudes; nevertheless observers within the southern USA and farther south can sight the pair in a darker sky, sitting exact above the western horizon earlier than they space at 8: 45 p.m. native time.

Friday, Aug. 20 — Jupiter at opposition (all night)

On Friday, Aug. 20, Jupiter will reach opposition among the many celebrities of jap Capricornus. Since Earth will almost definitely be positioned between the sun and the gasoline broad on that date, Jupiter will upward thrust at sunset, stay viewed all night lengthy, and space at spoil of day. At opposition, Jupiter will almost definitely be 373.1 million miles, 600.4 million km, or 33.3 gentle-minutes from Earth, and it would shine at its maximum brightness of magnitude -2.88 for 2021. Because Jupiter is impending perihelion in January, 2023, the planet will sport a generous, 49 arc-seconds-wide disk at this 365 days’s opposition. Views of Jupiter in newbie telescopes (inset) will tag its equatorial bands, and the Sizable Purple Intention every 2d or third night. Spherical opposition, Jupiter and its four broad Galilean satellites usually eclipse and occult one but another, and solid their round, murky shadows on this planet — singly and in pairs.

Friday, Aug. 20 — Uranus pauses in Aries (overnight)

On Friday, Aug. 20, Uranus will finish its motion all the map in which by the celebrities of southern Aries and put together to start a westward retrograde loop that can remaining till January, 2022. Tonight the magnitude 5.7 planet will upward thrust rapidly earlier than 11 p.m. native time and stay viewed till the predawn. Uranus will almost definitely be surrounded by the Fifth magnitude stars Sigma, Omicron, Pi, and Rho Arietis — increasing a distinctive asterism for somebody viewing Uranus in binoculars (red circle). 

Friday, Aug. 20 — Brilliant moon below Saturn (all night)

After the sun items on Friday night, Aug. 20, search in direction of the southeast for the vivid waxing gibbous moon colorful a total lot of finger widths below (or 4.5 degrees to the celestial south of) yellowish Saturn — with grand brighter Jupiter positioned off to their left (east). As they ghastly the sky all the map in which by the night, the moon and the ringed planet will (exact barely) allotment the field of gaze of binoculars (red circle), and the diurnal rotation of the sky will fetch the moon to Saturn’s left. They would possibly possibly possibly well space together within the west-southwest earlier than first gentle.

Saturday, Aug. 21 — Gibbous moon joins Jupiter and Saturn (all night)

After 24 hours of motion, the gibbous moon will hop east to sit down below (south of) Jupiter and Saturn within the southeastern sky after dusk. The trio will manufacture an elegant wide-field photo when composed with some attention-grabbing scenery. The moon will almost definitely be a miniature bit nearer to brighter Jupiter than Saturn — and exact shut sufficient for them to suit together in binoculars (red circle); nevertheless simplest till after nighttime, for the reason that moon’s eastward orbital motion will design it farther from the planet. By the time the moon drops below the west-southwestern horizon as the sun is rising (but another photo opportunity), it would discover shifted to Jupiter’s left.

Sunday, Aug. 22 — Fleshy Inexperienced Corn Moon (1202 GMT)

The August paunchy moon will occur on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 8: 02 a.m. EDT or 12: 02 GMT. This paunchy moon, colloquially called the “Sturgeon Moon,” “Purple Moon,” “Inexperienced Corn Moon,” and “Grain Moon,” the least bit times shines among or near the celebrities of Aquarius or Capricornus. The indigenous Anishinaabe people of the Sizable Lakes space name this moon Manoominike-giizis, the Wild Rice Moon, or Miine Giizis, the Blueberry Moon. The Cree Nation of central USA and Canada calls the August paunchy moon Ohpahowipîsim, the Flying Up Moon. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) of Japanese North The united states name it Seskéha, the Freshness Moon. The moon turns into entirely illuminated because it’s opposite the sun within the sky, causing the moon to upward thrust at sunset and space at spoil of day. For the reason that paunchy part will formally occur on Sunday morning within the Americas, the moon will seem like paunchy on both Saturday night and Sunday night. But magnified views will tag a skinny strip of darkness along the moon’s western and jap limbs on Saturday and Sunday night, respectively.

Sunday, Aug. 22 — Europa and Ganymede shadows on Jupiter (1842-2040 GMT)

On Sunday night, Aug. 22, observers with telescopes all the map in which by Japanese Europe, jap Africa, and Asia can peek the puny murky shadows of two of Jupiter’s moons ghastly the planet’s disk on the same time. At 8: 42 p.m. Central European Standard Time or 18: 42 GMT, Ganymede’s broad shadow will almost definitely be a part of Europa’s smaller shadow already crossing. The 2 shadows will appear together for 2 hours till Europa’s shadow strikes off at 10: 40 p.m. CEST, or 20: 40 GMT, leaving Ganymede’s shadow to total its transit at 12: 20 a.m. CEST or 22: 20 GMT. In jap Asia, the double shadow match will almost definitely be observable all the map in which by the wee hours of Monday morning. 

Wednesday, Aug. 25 — Double stars in Lyra’s parallelogram (all night)

Each and each corner of Lyra’s parallelogram is marked by a double superstar. Zeta Lyrae (ζ Lyr), the corner closest to vivid Vega, would possibly possibly possibly well well even be spoil up with binoculars. Each and each factors are white — one superstar a miniature brighter than the assorted. Each and each of these stars also has a partner that is too shut together to spoil up visually. Challenging clockwise, the southwest corner superstar is Sheliak, the brightest of a factual miniature grouping of stars viewed in a telescope. Sheliak itself has a shut-in, unlit accomplice in an eclipsing binary scheme with a 13 day duration. The new, blue broad superstar Sulafat sits on the farthest corner from Vega. 620 gentle-years-some distance away Sulafat is grand bigger than Vega — an venerable superstar on its ability to turning into an orange broad a long time from now. Add the marginally dimmer stars Lambda Lyrae and HD 176051 to its south and west, respectively to discover a unadorned-search triple. Delta Lyrae (δ Lyr) marks the northeast corner of the parallelogram. Though-provoking eyes and binoculars will without distress spoil up the double into one blue and one red superstar. The blue superstar is one hundred gentle-years farther away than the red one; they exact happen to seem shut together along the same line of demand.

Friday, Aug. 27 — The Teapot tilts west (night)

Moonless August evenings are very very most attention-grabbing for viewing the deep sky objects near and not utilizing a doubt one of many very most attention-grabbing asterisms within the sky, the Teapot in Sagittarius. This informal superstar sample functions a flat bottom formed by the celebrities Ascella on the left (east) and Kaus Australis on the correct (west), a pointed spout on the correct (west) marked by the superstar Alnasl, and a pointed lid marked by the superstar Kaus Borealis. The stars Nunki and Tau Sagittarii discover a form out on the left-hand (jap) aspect. The crooked line of three stars named Kaus — Borealis (north), Meridianalis (heart), and Australis (south) — check with the archer’s bow. The asterism reaches maximum height above the southern horizon earlier than 10 p.m. native time, when it would search as if it be serving its scorching beverage — with the Milky Methodology representing rising steam.

Friday, Aug. 27 — Brilliant moon near Uranus all over again (overnight)

For the 2d time this month, the vivid, waning gibbous moon will pass shut to Uranus. After the moon has climbed high sufficient to alter into viewed above the treetops slack on Friday night, Aug. 27, witness the magnitude 5.8 planet sitting a total lot of finger widths to its better left (or 3.5 degrees to the celestial northeast) — shut sufficient for them to allotment the gaze in binoculars (red circle). Whereas the blue-inexperienced dot of Uranus would possibly possibly possibly well well even be viewed in binoculars, it be a factual idea to expose its space between the celebrities of Aries and Cetus and hunt for it on an night when the vivid moon has moved away. 

Sunday, Aug. 29 — Two shadows and the Sizable Purple Intention ghastly Jupiter (2242-2317 GMT)

Initiating in slack night on Sunday, Aug. 29, telescope-users within the UK, Europe, and Africa can peek the Sizable Purple Intention and the shadows of Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede ghastly Jupiter together. At 11: 42 p.m. British Standard Time or 22: 42 GMT, Ganymede’s broad shadow will appear along Jupiter’s edge, now not removed from the Sizable Purple Intention. In the meantime, Europa’s smaller shadow will almost definitely be ending its occupy passage. The trio will stay viewed till Europa’s shadow strikes off Jupiter at 12: 17 a.m. or 23: 17 GMT. Observers within the jap a part of South The united states can gaze the same match after native dusk. 

Monday, Aug. 30 — A 2d third quarter moon (0713 GMT)

When a lunar part occurs within the foremost few days of a calendar month, it would re-occur at month’s quit. For the 2d time in August, the moon will reach its third quarter part at 3: 13 a.m. EDT or 07: 13 GMT on Monday, Aug. 30. The following week of moonless night skies will almost definitely be very very most attention-grabbing for watching deep sky targets.

Chris Vaughan, aka @astrogeoguy, is a geophysicist and lifelong newbie astronomer based mostly in Toronto, Canada. He’s an energetic member of the Royal Tall Society of Canada, and an operator of the ancient 74˝ telescope on the David Dunlap Observatory. Extremely energetic in science public outreach and education, he usually organizes native superstar events and sidewalk solar astronomy classes, and typically delivers displays about astronomy, and earth and planetary science, to college students and the public. For greater than three years, he has printed Astronomy Skylights, a weekly newsletter which is available by Tumblr, Fb, and Google+. He writes the Mobile Stargazing column for House.com in cooperation with SkySafari machine.

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