Monday, August 2
Today is a great day to view Saturn, which reaches opposition at 2 A.M. EDT. If you’re up early, the ringed planet won’t set until nearly sunrise; if you’re an evening observer, it will rise again as the Sun sets tonight and climb to 15° in altitude by 10 P.M. local time.
The planet, which glows near magnitude 0 all month, is in Capricornus the Sea Goat, nearly even in altitude with much dimmer magnitude 4 Theta (θ) Capricorni. Any telescope will show the gas giant’s 19″-wide disk and stunning ring system, which stretches 42″ across. Thanks to the planet’s roughly 18° tilt to our line of sight, its south polar region is visible. Cloud features are typically more difficult to make out on Saturn than on larger, closer Jupiter, but patient observers with steady seeing may be rewarded.
While you’re zoomed in on the planet, look 36″ east to find magnitude 12 Enceladus, one of the planet’s moons. Between the planet and its moon tonight, however, just 27″ from the center of Saturn’s disk, is an interloper: a star with nearly the same magnitude 12 brightness as the moon.
Earth’s Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point from our planet in its orbit, at 3:35 A.M. EDT. It will then sit 251,289 miles (404,410 kilometers) away.
Sunrise: 6:00 A.M.
Sunset: 8:12 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:56 A.M.
Moonset: 3:44 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (30%)
Tuesday, August 3
Sitting in the south this evening is an asterism, or unofficial grouping of stars, that’s easy to recognize. The Teapot in Sagittarius is formed by eight stars: Zeta (ζ), Tau (τ), Sigma (σ), Phi (ϕ), Lambda (λ), Delta (δ), Gamma (γ), and Epsilon (ϵ) Sagittarii. As its name implies, this asterism looks like a teapot with its handle to the east and its spout to the west. It’s sitting upright as it rises and will tip toward its spout overnight, setting with its handle up and its spout disappearing first.
At the top of the triangular lid is Lambda, while Gamma forms the tip of its spout. Sigma, which joins the top of the handle with the Teapot’s body, is also known as Nunki. It is the constellation’s second-brightest star; Epsilon, at the lower right-hand corner of the Teapot’s body and also called Kaus Australis, is Sagittarius’ brightest star.
Sunrise: 6:01 A.M.
Sunset: 8:11 P.M.
Moonrise: 1:29 A.M.
Moonset: 4:43 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (22%)
Wednesday, August 4
Asteroid 3 Juno is stationary at midnight EDT. Juno was the third asteroid ever discovered and is the 10th-largest asteroid, with a span of about 145 miles (234 km) across. Currently in the constellation Ophiuchus, Juno sits slightly above the halfway point on a line drawn between Zeta and Delta Ophiuchi. Roughly magnitude 10, you’ll need binoculars or a small scope to spot the main-belt world. Tonight, it’s also just 10′ from an 8th-magnitude field star (HIP 81153).
While you’re in Ophiuchus, this large constellation is home to several relatively bright globular clusters as well. Less than 6° northeast of Juno’s position are M10 and M12, which sit just 3.3° apart (M12 is northwest of M10). Instead, if you drop about 6.8° south-southwest of Juno’s position, you’ll run smack dab into M107.
Sunrise: 6:01 A.M.
Sunset: 8:10 P.M.
Moonrise: 2:07 A.M.
Moonset: 5:41 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (15%)
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