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There are several remarkable sky events in August, including gatherings of Jupiter with Venus in the morning sky and of Mars and Saturn in the evening.
We also have the return of the Perseids, one of the most reliable meteor shows, and the second of the three so-called "supermoons" of the summer.
With the departure of Jupiter from our evening skies early in July, the only visible evening planets have been Mars and Saturn. On August evenings you can watch the two planets appear to draw closer night by night. This planetary show is visible in the west from dusk until 11 p.m. in early August, when Mars sets; and visible from dusk until 10:30 p.m. at the end of August, when Mars and Saturn set together.
At the start of August, look west at first darkness (around 8 p.m.) Mars will be just about halfway up the western sky. It has a distinctive pale-orange color. In early August, Mars is about halfway between the bright bluish star Spica (to the right of Mars) and Saturn (to Mars’ left).
In these early days of August, the three dots are fairly evenly spaced, with Mars appearing about one hand-width to the left of Spica, and Saturn one hand-width to the left of Mars. (To help with the ID, the crescent moon, conveniently, will be next to Spica on Friday, next to Mars on Saturday, and next to Saturn on Aug. 3.)
Saturn has a pale yellow-white color, in contrast to orange Mars, and lies in front of the claws of Scorpius. In early August, Saturn is a little more than halfway up in the western sky at dusk and makes a nice line with Mars and Spica to the right. Saturn sets around midnight in early August.
From dusk until 10:30 p.m. you can watch the ballet of Saturn and Mars throughout the entire month. Every night from Friday to Aug. 20, Mars will appear a little closer to Saturn. By Aug. 20, look for ruddy Mars hanging like a pendant about 4 degrees below Saturn.
For Aug. 21-31, Mars will appear to pass right below Saturn.
The moon comes around again and joins the planets at the end of the month. Look for the crescent moon below the pair of planets on Aug. 30, and just above the planetary pair on Aug. 31.
Venus, the brightest dot of light, has been the sole beacon in our morning skies, blazing away low in the east at the break of day. Look for the brilliant planet rising in the east at 4:30 a.m. You should be able to see it for about an hour, until daylight washes out the planets and stars.
By Aug. 12, just as day breaks around 5:30 a.m., you should be able to catch another brilliant dot rising in the east below Venus. This is Jupiter, entering the morning sky after having passed behind the sun in late July. Jupiter will be a little higher at daybreak every morning from Aug. 12 onward.
The closest gathering of these planets is on the morning of Aug. 18, when Jupiter and Venus appear within 0.2 degree of each other (less than half the diameter of a full moon). The window to catch this amazing conjunction is narrow; the two planets rise around 5 a.m. by Aug. 18 and day breaks by 5:45 a.m. It’s best to look over the water to see them, or at least to make sure nothing blocks your east horizon.
From Aug. 18-20, the morning sky’s two brightest dots will slowly separate, while both still hang low in the east at dawn.
SUPERMOON
There has been a lot of media attention on "supermoons" in recent years. The term seemed to have been invented in 2011. The term has come to refer to a full moon that occurs when the moon is near its closest point to Earth in its slightly oval path around our planet. Since it’s a little closer than usual, the moon appears a little larger than a "normal" full moon.
The full moon of Aug. 10 is such a moon; of all the full moons of 2014, this one occurs when the moon is closest to Earth. The actual moment of the full moon is at 8:10 a.m. HST on Aug. 10. This of course is during the daytime, when the full moon is not in the sky. Full moons come up at sunset.
For all intents and purposes, we should see a full-looking, bright moon in the Hawaiian islands both on the night of Aug. 9, the night before the moon is full; and also on the night of Aug. 10.
PERSEID SHOWER
The Perseid Meteor Show is the most famous of the annual repeating showers, with up to 80 meteors an hour. It is created as Earth wanders into the space debris of comet 109 P Swift Tuttle in mid-August every year. Little bits of the comet debris hit our air so fast that they burn up from the friction, causing shooting stars. The comet debris is in the same part of the sky where we find the constellation of Perseus the Hero, so the streaks seem to radiate from that part of the sky, hence the title "Perseids." Perseus rises in the east around midnight in mid-August.
The peak night for the Perseid shower in 2014 is the night of Aug. 11-12; but there should also be lots of activity on the nights of Aug. 10-11 and Aug. 12-13. However, the moon will be a major interference this year, as it will be in the sky for the entire peak of the shower. You should still be able to catch the brighter streaks.
To view the shower, go out right after midnight. Shooting star showers are the ultimate naked-eye star events. No telescope needed; just a comfortable, clear view of the sky, and the willingness to scan the skies between midnight and dawn. While you should keep one eye on the east, where the constellation of Perseus is, it’s also useful to scan the entire sky; the streaks can come from anywhere.
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