AUGUST 2005
Note that recent discoveries and events of immediate importance are always posted
IMPORTANT SKY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST TO ASTRONOMERS, PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR, ARE PROVIDED BY ASO
NOTE:  Highlighted events are those that are of interest to observers with modest equipment, or are special events of interest to ALL astronomers!
 
NOTE!! CLICK ON OBJECTS IN BLUE TO LINK WITH MORE ABOUT THIS EVENT!!!  
The Solar System in AUGUST 2005 : (see also ASO Planet Patrol Image Archives for Daily Updates!)
NOTE:  The major planets are weak in the early evening skies, with Mars now emerging as a bright reddish "star" cresting overhead just after midnight and rapidly approaching both sun and Earth; this will be the BEST apparition for telescope viewers of the Red Planet for decades to come;  both Mercury and Venus return as Evening Stars, while Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are visible best shortly after midnight this month.
 
Mercury - Reaching a full 18 degrees WEST of the sun (hence visible in the morning dawn skies) on Aug. 24, this will be a good time to view the most elusive planet, very low in bright dawn skies in the far NE horizons; the planet will rise on that date as a bright but atmospherically-dimmed "star" about 1.5 hours before sunrise, and hence for about one hour should be visible very low to the horizon in dark skies, something rare for observing this orb - In CANCER
Venus - The brightest of the planets will be in our early evening skies each summer evening of August, just above the western horizon at dusk and just at astronomical darkness; a beautiful pairing of VENUS and JUPITER takes place the evening of Aug. 31....the two joined up and down from one-another; note that less bright JUPITER is above brilliant VENUS  - in VIRGO
Mars - Mars rises this month just before midnight local time, low in the ENE skies; the Red Planet wil be joined by the gibbous moon on the evening of Aug. 24.  Interestingly, Mars at this time is rising about 1-2 minutes earlier EACH night!  By mid-month the planet will be a much larger 14 arc seconds across, large enough to begin to provide some glimpses of its polar caps, dark maria and other features in common telescopes.  Note that this year, the opposition will be MUCH more favorable than the highly touted one of 2003 for northern hemisphere observers since the Red Planet will be very high in the skies as compared to skirting very low in the southern skies two years ago. -  In TAURUS
Jupiter -  Now departing our skies until very late this year when it will peak out in dawn skies, the Mighty Jupiter sinks slowly in the west; look for the Gian Planet to be paired with the thin crescent moon on the evening of August 9 - In VIRGO
Saturn - Here come the rings!  Saturn now peeks out after being hidden in solar glare for months; in early dawn skies, look to the ENE for this yellow planet, appearing as a bright star; binoculars on the mornings of August 31-Sept. 1 will show the remarkable planet embedded in the wonderful naked and large star cluster "The Beehive" in the constellation of Cancer - in CANCER
Uranus -  This distant planet is observable in moderate sized telescope as a very distinct disk-like bluish object, shining at magnitude 5.8, bright enough to spot in even small telescopes.  Uranus reaches opposition on the last day of August 2005 (actually the morning of Sept. 1...) - in CAPRICORNUS.
Neptune - At a faint magnitude 7.9 and at Opposition this month, the distant Neptune is high in our skies around midnight - in CAPRICORNUS.
Pluto - Now in the early evening skies as full darkness commences, this 14th magnitude distant planet is positioned favorably for telescopic examination.  However at least an 8- or 10-inch telescope will be required, as will good star charts. - In southern OPHIUCHUS.
    note:  to locate the three outer planets, we recommend you use the charts from a good planetarium PC program! 
ALSO see page 72 of the June 2005 Sky & Telescope Magazine for yearly details!
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Comet Tempel 1 (9P) - reached its closest pass by the earth this month and was empacted by an earth-sent satellite on July 3-4, this 9th magnitude comet is still the one to watch this month! 
 
Comet LINEAR (2005 K2) - this object put on quite a show in June and early July, reaching brighter magnitudes than expected after a nice splitting of the nucleus was first reported by none other than Arkansas' Mike Holloway of Van Buren.  Although now rising in early morning skies and considerably fainter, any comet with this much activity should be monitored when possible!
 
There are NO naked eye comets forecast for August 2005
 
SEE ALSO INDIVIDUAL DATE LISTINGS for faint comets below and for NEW COMETS always refer to the
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SPOT THE THIN CRESCENT MOON?
Through the early days of the second week of August 2005, skywatchers can watch a "growing crescent" moon in early dusk skies, only 45 minutes after sunset.  Look for a very thin, but easily visible, crescent first on the evening of August 7, very low to the due west horizon; the following evening, still in dusk, the moon will be see much higher (moves eastward about 15 degrees in one day for us....) and considerably to the "left" (south) of the previous night.  On August 9, the moon will make a remarkably beautiful pairing with the very bright yellow planet JUPITER to its upper left....watch on this night as the moon slowly edges it way, moving 1/2 degree eastward per hour, toward the mighty jupiter.
 
For early risers, just as dawn breaks on the mornings of August 31 and then the following morning as a new month begins, look for the sinking waning crescent moon low, low in ENE skies about one hour before sunrise; on the morning of August 30, note that the moon will be cradles between the two "Twin Stars" Castor and Pollux in Gemini.
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The ASO August Star of the Month: ALBIREO

Beautiful Summertime "Double Star":  ALBIREO (the "hen's beak")
The BEST double star of the sky...ALBIREO (beta Cygni) - a wonderful contrast in color!
Although this is one of the most magnificent stellar sites in the cosmos, the name actually means...."nothing." It is an error it appears. Somewhere in the 16th century translations of all the earliest Arabic star and constellation designations, the name originated for this star as "Ab rireo" which really translates to nothing in particular. The actual recorded Arabic gives the star the name of the "Hen's Beak," or "Al minhar al Dajajah." Perhaps that was too difficult with too many "a's".

Albireo, at magnitude 3.1, is the most remarkable of all double stars in color contrast. The brightest star, magnitude 3.1, is clearly a brilliant yellow color, while the smaller (fainter at magnitude 5.1) is a distinct aqua or blue-green color. There is no mistaking the rich color contrast here, even if you are color blind. However, I must warn you that - even thought the star can be easily resolved into the two striking components in LOWEST magnification of the ETX 60 or 70 - you must use about 15x per inch aperture to actually appreciate the saturation of these deep colors. If you get too high a magnification, the color diminishes with the brightness....too low and the effect is gone from the intensity of the stars themselves. Albireo, at a distance of only 410 light years (the exact same distance as the Pleiades of late Autumn!), is much closer than Deneb is to Earth.

NOTE that this star comprises the "bottom of the cross" in a traditional Christian symbol....the top of the cross is marked by brighter DENEB, which in mythology and lore was the "tail of the swan."  It is interesting that the constellation of Cygnus ONLY is seen in northern hemispheres as an "upright cross" with Deneb at top and Albireo at bottom setting in the western sky ONLY in the few weeks preceding each Christmas.
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METEOR SHOWERS:  Observe when the moon does not interfere and attempt to observe AFTER midnight for most meteors to be seen!  August offers some of the best observing conditions for meteors....the skies are typically quite clear, the cooling night air suggests that fall nights await and fill you with observing inspiration, and August holds five wonderful showers, one of which is the "granddaddy" of all predictable and dependable meteor observing outings. 
 
The 2004 Perseids:  The famous PERSEID Meteor Storm will pass across the Earth's orbit once again this year in early August, but this year is particularly favorable for MANY meteors to be seen.  Some astronomers are calling for quite a celestial show from this shower in 2005, yet others are not so optimistic.   The moon will be first quarter the evening of Aug. 12 and will interfere with sighting of fainter members of this shower which should begin to streak across out skies about 10 p.m.
 
Do not wait for August 11-12 however....this is a long duration shower and meteors will be easily seen during the first week of the month when skies are hampered by only a thin to growing waxing crescent moon.
 
In 1992 Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent object that spawns the Perseid meteoroid cloud, shed a great amount of dust in its wake and now sets the stage for intense activity as the earth passes through that debris; this will be the FIRST year that the earth has actually gone directly through this debris cloud since it was intensified.    Although meteors can be expected to be seen just as soon as the skies darken on the evening of August 11, the peak is scheduled for early in morning of August 12 (about 4 a.m. CDT) and throughout the evening of August 12; The Moon will be a narrow waning crescent in 2004, with Europe and Western Asia in the most favorable viewing locations. The peak of this year's show will take place on Thursday night-Friday Morning, August 11-12, with residuals coming back for an encore perhaps on the evenings of August 12, although strong moonlight will interfere until long after midnight.  NOTE that there is some indication that a SECONDARY PEAK might actually be seen in ideal skies on the MORNING of August 12, somewhere around dawn or just before on that morning, as the earth will be sweeping through a cloud of material that has been ejected from the parent comet (below) of this dependable meteor shower.  In fact, it is possible that this secondary cloud might produce more meteors in 2005 than the main swarm. 
 
Note that Comet Swift-Tuttle's (P/1862) one-revolution trail from 1862 will pass inside the Earth’s orbit this year. At the time of Perseids (the annual meteor shower associated with this comet), this occurs at 11 August 20:54 UT (evening hours, local time, of August 12).  If there were a closer approach of this comet to the earth, a spectacular meteor storm would be expected...but with these conditions and no prior such close approaches to compare to, it is uncertain what kind of a shower this will give for 2004.  Because of similar conditions, but with the earth passing directly through the major debris pocket of the comet, perhaps the best meteor shower of history will occur with the Perseids in 2028.
 
This is a long duration shower, with many (as many as two dozen per hour) being seen from August 9 through the 20th; during the PEAK, expect to see at least 60 or more (perhaps double that number!) around 2 a.m., streaming from the constellation of Perseus, high in the northeastern sky.  Best views are afforded by positioning your feet to the EAST and facing directly overhead.  SEE COMPLETE PERSEID ARTICLE (including wonderful historical references) by P. Clay Sherrod under the ASO "Current News" at http://www.arksky.org/cgi-bin/readnews.pl .  A move is underway for observers to actually monitor the MOON during the Perseids via CCD, digital and visual means to look for flashes that may indeed be part of impacts of Perseid meteorites against the lunar surface.  SEE "Current News" for details!
 
AND YES....there ARE other meteor showers in August!
 
August 1 (and July 31....) - Capricornid Meteors.  The moon will be a thin waning crescent for this show,  so this could be an excellent year for observing this shower.   Remains of comet Honda-Mrkos-Padusakova, about 35 meteors per hour - MANY which are bright fireballs! - can be expected in the morning hours; nearly due south of overhead about midnight.
 
August 6 - Southern Aquarid Meteors - look on the meridian, southern skies about 11 p.m. local time for only a few meteors, perhaps 7-8 per hour.  This is a curious shower, comprised of two peaks:  this one, and another on about August 21-23.  Note that meteors from this (these?) showers are not seen yearly and observations are badly needed to fill in the missing gaps about our knowledge of them.  Some years no meteors are seen, but since the late 1800's when this double shower was noted and later confirmed, there have been distinct radiants (the "northern" and "southern") seen throughout many years.  Observations of this shower are badly needed and this is a perfect year, with a nearly NEW moon absent from our observing fields!
 
August 20 - Kappa Cygnid Meteors - This is a  very poor month for these meteors to be seen to their fullest.  The full moon will dominate the skies this year.  Typically many of these meteors are seen along with Perseid meteors, leaving very fine trains of smoke in their wakes!  The Cygnid (and the Andromedids, below) will be nearly overhead by 2 a.m.
 
August 31 - Andromedid Meteors - there will be a waxing moon on the morning of this shower, so chances of seeing a good display are good.  In 1885, 13,000 Andromedids were seen per hour, all fragments of a now-disentigrated BIELA's Comet.  Very unpredictable, this meteor shower needs observations during such excellent times as 2005.  The shower radiant will be nearly directly overhead for mid-northern latitudes about the time the moon rises this year.
AUGUST 2005
IMPORTANT EVENTS TO REMEMBER:     * 
Aug 11-12 - Perseids Meteor Shower Peak
Aug 08 - Neptune at Opposition
Aug 24 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (18 Degrees)
Aug 01 - Comet Forbes Perihelion (1.572 AU)
Aug 01 - 5th Anniversary (2000), Discovery of the SAU 051 Meteorite (Mars Meteorite)
Aug 01 - Helen Battles Sawyer Hogg's 100th Birthday (1905)
Aug 01-05 - Global Hands-On Universe Workshop, Beijing, China
Aug 02 - Asteroid 6602 Gilclark Closest Approach To Earth (1.010 AU)
Aug 02 - Asteroid 2753 Duncan Closest Approach To Earth (1.883 AU)
Aug 02-07 - 2005 Lake Hanas International Pulsar Symposium, Urumqi & Hanas, China
Aug 03 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #26 (OTM-26)
Aug 03 - Asteroid 2005 FC3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)
Aug 03 - Asteroid 6135 Billowen Closest Approach To Earth (1.505 AU)
AUGUST 04 - NEW MOON - 10:05 CDT - In LEO
**Aug 04-06 - Table Mountain Star Party, Table Mountain, Washington
**Aug 04-06 - 15th Annual Weekend Under the Stars, Foxpark, Wyoming
**Aug 04-07 - Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Canada
**Aug 04-07 - Starfest 2005, Mount Forest, Canada
Aug 05 - Asteroid 5811 Keck Closest Approach To Earth (0.836 AU)
Aug 05 - Asteroid 2410 Morrison Closest Approach To Earth (1.277 AU)
Aug 05 - Neil Armstrong's 75th Birthday (1930)
**Aug 05-06 - 69th Annual Stellafane Star Party, near Springfield, Vermont
**Aug 05-07 - Northwoods Starfest, Fall Creek, Wisconsin
**Aug 05-07 - Montana Starwatch 2005, Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana
Aug 07-10 - Adirondack Astronomy Retreat, Lewis, New York
Aug 07-11 - 2005 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Lake Tahoe, California
Aug 07-12 - IAU Symposium 229: Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Aug 07-13 - Meeting: Nearly Normal Galaxies 2005, Santa Cruz, California
Aug 08 - Neptune at Opposition
Aug 08 - Asteroid 1992 UY4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU)
Aug 08 - Asteroid 5050 Doctorwatson Closest Approach To Earth (1.356 AU)
Aug 10 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #27 (OTM-27)
Aug 10 - Asteroid 697 Galilea Closest Approach To Earth (1.541 AU)
Aug 10 - 10th Anniversary (1995), Saturn Ring Plane Crossing (2 of 3)
Aug 10 - 15th Anniversary (1990), Magellan, Venus Orbit Insertion
**Aug 10-14 - Medomak Perseids Star Party, Washington, Maine
**Aug 11-14 - 8th International Mars Society Conference, Boulder, Colorado
**Aug 11-14 - Manitoulin Star Party, Manitoulin Island, Canada
AUGUST 11 - FIRST QUARTER MOON - 9:38 p.m. C DT, In LIBRA
Aug 11-12 - Perseids Meteor Shower Peak
Aug 12 - Asteroid 2933 Amber Closest Approach To Earth (1.482 AU)
Aug 12 - 40th Anniversary (1965), Echo 1 Launch
**Aug 12-13 - Astronomical League's ALCON Expo 2005, Kansas City, Kansas
Aug 14 - Asteroid 5703 Hevelius Closest Approach To Earth (1.581 AU)
Aug 15-18 - AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, San Francisco, California
Aug 15-19 - 2005 Lijiang International Starburst Workshop, Lijiang, China
Aug 16 - Mars Solstice (Beginning of Northern Winter)
Aug 16 - Asteroid 2003 YO1 Near-Venus Flyby (0.039 AU)
Aug 17 - LOOK for bright red MARS to pass only 5 arc minutes SOUTH of star 31 ARIETIS at about 1:02 am CDT; nearly overhead
Aug 17 - 35th Anniversary (1970), Venera 7 Launch (USSR Venus Lander)
Aug 18 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #28 (OTM-28)
Aug 18 - Asteroid 6154 Stevesynnott Closest Approach To Earth (1.051 AU)
Aug 18 - Lecture: Space Exploration Technology Spin-offs, Pasadena, California
Aug 18 - 20th Anniversary (1985), Suisei Launch (Japan Comet Halley Mission)
AUGUST 19 - FULL MOON - 12:53 p.m. CDT, In CAPRICORNUS 
Aug 19 - Asteroid 2005 BE2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.100 AU)
Aug 19 - Lecture: Space Exploration Technology Spin-offs, Pasadena, California
Aug 19 - 45th Anniversary (1960), Sputnik 5 Launch (Carried Dogs Belka & Strelka)
Aug 20 - Asteroid 2000 QV7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU)
Aug 20 - 30th Anniversary (1975), Viking 1 Launch (Mars Lander/Orbiter)
Aug 20 - 120th Anniversary (1885), Ernst Hartwig's Discovery of S Andromedae
Aug 21 - 40th Anniversary (1965), Gemini 5 Launch (Gordon Cooper & Charles Conrad)
Aug 22 - Cassini, Titan Flyby
Aug 22-26 - Meeting: A Life with Stars, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Aug 22-26 - Workshop: QSO Host Galaxies - Evolution and Environment, Leiden, The Netherlands
Aug 22-28 - Conference: Variable Stars, Odessa, Ukraine
Aug 23 - Asteroid 7934 Sinatra Closest Approach To Earth (1.933 AU)
Aug 23 - Asteroid 2228 Soyuz-Apollo Closest Approach To Earth (2.140 AU)
Aug 24 - Progress M-54 Soyuz FG Launch (International Space Station 19P)
Aug 24 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (18 Degrees)
Aug 24 - Asteroid 20 Massalia At Opposition (9.7 Magnitude)
Aug 25 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #29 (OTM-29)
Aug 25 - Asteroid 9618 Johncleese Closest Approach To Earth (1.055 AU)
Aug 25 - Asteroid 2801 Huygens Closest Approach To Earth (1.344 AU)
AUGUST 26 -LAST QUARTER MOON - 10:18 CDT, In TAURUS 
Aug 26 - Asteroid 9249 Yen Closest Approach To Earth (1.208 AU)
**Aug 26-28 - 23rd Annual Connecticut River Valley Astronomers Conjunction, Northfield, Massachusetts
**Aug 27 - Astronomical Association of Northern California Conference, San Francisco, California
Aug 29 - 35th Anniversary (1970), Discovery of Nova Cygni 1975  (we were there....)
Aug 30 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #30 (OTM-30)
Aug 30-Sep 01 - Space 2005 Conference, Long Beach, California
Aug 31 - Asteroid 9548 Fortran Closest Approach To Earth (1.509 AU)
 
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Clear skies to all!
Dr. Clay
Arkansas Sky Observatory
 Observatory Hill Drive, Petit Jean Mt.
MPC/cbat Obs. H41 / Petit Jean Mountain
MPC/cbat Obs. H45 / Petit Jean Mountain South
MPC/cbat Obs. H43 / Conway
MPC/cbat Obs. H44 / Cascade Mountain
http://www.arksky.org/

 

 

 

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