When is the Perseid meteor shower? It’s coming up this week!
Every Monday I choose the celestial highs of the northern hemisphere (mid-northern latitude) for the coming week, but rest assured check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy and eclipses.
What to see in the night sky this week: August 10-16, 2020
Are you ready to go with “shooting star” spotting? Active since July 17, the Perseid meteor shower can bring as many as 100 “shooting stars” per hour on its peak night. In 2020, that is Tuesday 11 August in Wednesday 12 August.
That’s just the beginning of a great week for stargazing. If the week continues, it will be one of the best weeks of the year to see the Milky Way in the run-up to New Moon on August 19th. From August 12, the moon will rise after midnight, giving you a few hours of dark skies just as the brightest part of our galaxy goes overhead.
With two of the heavenly treats of summer in the same week, and some amazing views of Venus and the moon to boot, a sparkling awaits seven days of stargazing!
Tuesday, August 11, 2020: Perseid meteor showers
Easily the most popular meteor shower of the year in the northern hemisphere, tonight is one of the best nights of the year to see “shooting stars”. It is caused by dust and debris left in the Earth’s orbital path by Comet 109P / Swift-Tuttle, which last entered the solar system in 1992 and will return in July 2126.
The Perseids can count up to 100 per hour. Will you see that a lot? A rising Last Quarter Moon at midnight will blow out some of the bright meteors, but there should still be enough for patient eyes to spot.
Be outside before midnight. Like some early “earthworms” – long-lasting shooting stars near the eastern and western horizons – if you’re in a dark place away from light pollution, you can also see the Milky Way up in the south.
After midnight, to find shooting stars, look at every part of the night sky, and keep going! However, you will need clear skies; if it is cloudy you will not see anything.
It’s also worth looking for Perseid meteors on Wednesday 12th August through Thursday 13th August, and even the night after. If this week is a clear sky, go outside and look up.
This week is perfect for seeing the Milky Way.
Wednesday 12 August – Saturday 22 August: See the Milky Way
Did you manage to sneak a climax to our galaxy while on your way to Perseids?
The center of our galaxy looks spectacular in August, but the Milky Way is at its best when the moon is down. That is from evening to August 19 the New Moon.
Look generally to the south, preferably when you observe from somewhere away from light pollution and, crucially, somewhere where your view of the southern horizon will not have the glow of a city or town.
The moon and Venus.
Thursday, August 13, 2020: Venus as a ‘Morning Star’ and Aldebaran near the moon
If you enjoyed watching Venus dominate as an “Evening Star” for the first half of 2020, now is the best time to appreciate how much it now dominates as a pre-dawn “Morning Star.”
Always the brightest object in the night sky, except the moon, Venus reaches its greatest expansion west today.
This means that it seems, from our point of view one Earth, in its present morning is the furthest from the sun, that it appears at its highest point in the night sky of the morning. Look above the eastern horizon about three hours before sunrise.
At 45.8 ° west of the sun, it is the highest in the night sky that Venus will receive in 2020.
If you are early enough to see Venus, look for bright star Aldebaran in the constellation of Taurus, which will be only 4 ° of a 34% illuminated moon.
Look east before sunrise on Saturday, August 15, 2020 to see a coherence of a crescent moon and … [+]
Saturday, August 15, 2020: Coherence of a crescent moon and Venus
In the morning Venus will rise for about three hours before the sun rises, along with an 18% bright moon (see above) that looks closer to the sun as it gets closer to the sun.
Constellation of the Week: Orion
Look to the east and, if you are early enough, you can also enjoy some good views of the winter constellations.
Most notably, you will see the famous cold weather constellation of Orion on its side. The bright stars, red Betelgeuse and true blue Rigel, should both be almost visible. Between them will be the Belt; above it will be the constellation of Taurus and bright red star Aldebaran.
Further proof that although the stars change with the seasons, if you get up early enough to be able to cheat the system!
I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.
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