Highlights

Your guide to the night sky this month

Early August

The 2020 season of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) is drawing to a close, with the start of August being the last chance to spot these elusive night shining sights. Look low above the northwest horizon, 90–120 minutes after sunset, or at a similar time before sunrise.

Saturday

1 Look for Jupiter this evening 1.5˚ to the north of an almost full Moon. The gas giant appears 2.5˚ from the centre of the lunar disc at 23:00 BST (22:00 UT).

Meanwhile, mag. +0.5 Saturn lies a little less than 8˚ to Jupiter’s east.

Monday

Mars is at perihelion, a time when it’s closest to the Sun. Perihelion season raises the chance of dust storms on the Red Planet.

Tuesday

As a bright Moon, just past full, rises above the east-southeast horizon at 22:00 BST (21:00 UT) tonight, look out for the Moon illusion, when it appears artificially large.

Friday

As Jupiter rises, its moon Ganymede will be in transit. Ganymede is located centrally on Jupiter’s disc at 22:45 BST (21:45 UT), and the transit ends at 00:28 BST on 8 August (23:28 UT on the 7th).

Sunday

Brightening Mars lies 3.5˚ from the 73%-lit waning gibbous Moon at 03:00 BST (02:00 UT). The Red Planet is shining at mag. –1.2. By 10:30 BST (09:30 UT) both objects will be 1.1˚ apart in the daytime sky.

Tuesday

11 The shadow of the moon Callisto transits Jupiter’s disc from 19:43 BST (18:43 UT) until 23:55 BST (22:55 UT), with the shadow located centrally on the gas giant’s disc at 21:35 BST (20:35 UT).

Wednesday

12 Today is the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of 100 meteors per hour. From the UK this means the nights of 11/12 and 12/13 August are best for viewing. See pages 26, 42 and 68 for more information.

The now 36%-lit crescent Moon rises immediately north of the V-shaped Hyades open cluster this evening. Moonrise is around midnight BST (23:00 UT).

Thursday► 

13 Venus reaches greatest western elongation today, appearing separated from the Sun by 45.8˚ in the morning sky. Venus is now theoretically at 50 per cent phase.

See page 43 for more.

◀ Saturday

15 This morning’s 18%-lit waning crescent Moon lies 1.3˚ south of the fifth magnitude open cluster, M35.

Mag. –4.2 Venus sits 6˚ east-southeast of the Moon at 03:00 BST (02:00 UT).

Monday

17 Mars brightens to mag. –1.5 today. Catch it around midnight low in the east, where it looks like a glowing orange ember nestled among the faint stars of Pisces.

Tuesday

18 There’s an opportunity to spot a 1%-lit waning crescent Moon this morning, as it rises above the east-northeast horizon at 04:30 BST (03:30 UT), 90 minutes before sunrise.

Look out for the peak of the weak Kappa Cygnid meteor shower, with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) of 2.3 meteors per hour.

Wednesday

19 Today’s new Moon means this is a good time to try our ‘Deep-Sky Tour’ on page 52. This month we’re looking at objects in western Cygnus.

◀ Thursday

20 With the Moon out of the way the Milky Way should be visible tonight, providing the sky is clear of cloud and you’re in a dark-sky location.

Wednesday

26 This evening’s low 62%-lit waxing gibbous Moon is a great time to observe our ‘Moonwatch’ target, beautiful crater Archimedes, just visible close to the northern section of the terminator. See page 48.

Friday

28 This evening an 81%-lit waxing gibbous Moon lies 3.7˚ southwest of mag. –2.4 Jupiter.

Minor planet 1 Ceres reaches opposition in Aquarius at mag. +7.7 this evening.

◀ Saturday

29 As the sky darkens, mag. +0.6 Saturn appears 4˚ northwest of a bright 88%-lit waxing gibbous Moon.