Mark your calendars, because the month of august has some amazing astronomy events in store for you. Get your telescopes and cameras ready and watch out for meteor showers, the moon, and much more.
Full Sturgeon Moon
On August 3rd, the moon will be fully lit as it will be on the opposite side of the earth as the sun, as a full moon. This was named Sturgeon Moon by early native American tribes as large sturgeon fish on ceratin lakes were easily captured during this time as compared to the rest of the year.
Perseids Meteor Shower
This is without a doubt, one of the best showers to observe as it lights up the skies beautifully. They are known for the bright meteors and are produced by the comet Swift-Tuttle. This shower runs annually from July 17 to August 24. This year, it will peak on the night of August 12 and the morning of August 13. At its peak, the display can produce as many as 150 meteors an hour. It takes place when our planet moves through the debris left by Comet Swift-Turtle
Venus at Great Western Elongation
On August 13, make sure to look low in the eastern sky a little before sunrise to witness Venus at great western elongation, which will be the maximum angle between the sun and the planet. This moment will mark Venus at an elongation of 45.8 degrees from the sun. This will be the best time to see it as it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky.
New Moon
August 19 is the day when the new moon will arise. During this event, the moon and the sun will share the elliptical longitude which means that the lunar disk is not visible from the earth. Moonlight interference will be very low which makes it the perfect time to observe faraway galaxies and clusters.
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