The moon is nearly at first quarter as the month begins. Mars and Saturn hover close by, all three bodies almost directly south at sundown. This is an occultation for Saturn, but only visible as such in the South Pacific and Far East. The moon is full Aug. 10 and Aug. 14 another occultation occurs, this time with Uranus. Again, not visible for viewers on the prairies.
Aug. 18, Aldebaran, the bright star in Taurus, the bull, joins with the moon, only 1.5 degrees away. By Aug. 23, both Venus and Jupiter are within a hand width of our satellite in the eastern pre-dawn. Saturn and Mars are close by in the western twilight Aug. 27. Finally, by the end of the month, a third occultation occurs, again with Saturn. This one is visible from the Americas, but not the prairies.
Mercury is not visible at the beginning of the month, but by month end it appears in the western evening sky, close to the horizon. The moon is right beside Mercury Aug. 26, but is a very difficult sighting so close to the setting sun.
Venus is the Morning Star, and closing in on the sun with each passing day. On the morning of Aug. 18, Venus and Jupiter put on a great show in the eastern morning twilight. This could be one of those mornings when you want to get a camera out and take some pictures of the close conjunction. Adding to the spectacle is the Beehive Cluster (M44) in the background.
Mars shows up in the evening twilight in the western sky. Late in the month, Mars, Saturn and the brightest star in Libra, Zubenelgenubi, form a nice triplet, joined by the moon Aug. 31.
Jupiter is lost in the sun's glare for the first half of the month, but begins to show up later on in the eastern morning sky. By Aug. 18 Venus joins in on the show. Aug. 22 and 23, the thin crescent moon comes in for a nice photographic trio.
Saturn is in the west at sunset, making a nice lineup with Mars and the moon Aug. 1. Watch for the close approaches Aug. 4 and 31.
Uranus rises in late evening, crossing the sky all night. Telescopic viewers may wish to watch the close approach of the moon Aug. 14.
Neptune rises about an hour ahead of Uranus, and is visible with a telescope all night.
For observers wanting to see the largest dwarf planet in the inner Solar System, Ceres is visible all month near Saturn and Mars in the southwestern sky.
The best-known meteor shower, the Perseids, occurs on the evening of Aug. 12.
- James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now the society's president, assistant editor and a contributor to the Observer's Handbook, production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. He was given the RASC Service Award at the 2012 General Assembly in Edmonton.
