Backyard Stargazer – The skies of August
By Francis Parnell
As promised last month, this is how Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, became the 13th constellation of the Zodiac.
Francis Parnell, the Backyard Stargazer of Darlington
In 1930, the International Astronomical Union set the official borders of all 88 constellations. The Sun’s apparent path against the background stars, called the “Ecliptic,” runs through the southeast corner of Ophiuchus that extends into the Zodiac. The Sun spends more time in Ophiuchus than in Scorpius!
The Sun is in Scorpius from Nov. 23-29, and in Ophiuchus from Nov. 30-Dec. 17.
Around 9 p.m. on the 9th, bright Jupiter is 2 degrees lower right of the waxing gibbous Moon with bright red Antares, the Heart of the Scorpion, to the pair’s lower right.
Find the Moon and Saturn about 3 degrees apart in Sagittarius, the Archer, on the 11th.
`The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the early morning hours of the 13th, but the nearly full Moon will hamper observing.
Before dawn on the 24th, the waning crescent Moon is a mere 2 degrees from the red giant Aldebaran, the eye of Taurus, the Bull.
At dawn on the 27th, a thin lunar crescent is 7 degrees from Pollux, one of the Gemini twins. They’re visible in the eastern sky two hours before twilight begins. Pollux is 34 light-years away, 10 times the solar diameter, and 33 times the Sun’s luminosity.
FAST FACT: The electromagnetic spectrum (all forms of light) is measured in nanometers (billionths of a meter) and consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. We see all colors of the rainbow, but we can’t see 99.997 percent of the electromagnetic spectrum. We’re almost blind!
Head outside, enjoy the wondrous night sky, and “Keep looking up!”