| Title: |
August Skywatch Highlights |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Islands |
| Date / Time: |
August 2008 |
| Comments: |
Brilliant JUPITER dominates the southern half of the sky all night. The gas giant gleams from high in the southeastern sky at sunset. Jupiter appears among the stars of eastern Sagittarius, near the handle of the "teapot" asterism. Four planets are viewable in the Western sky for a short period just after sunset. VENUS stands out as the brightest object in the western sky after sunset. In the first week of August, look to the West at around 7:45 PM & you may be able to spot SATURN as a white dot to the upper left of Venus. Watch during the first 2 weeks of August as Venus & Saturn close in on each other. (The 2 planets appear closest on August 13th). Look for the pale orange glow of MARS to the upper left of Saturn. Watch for MERCURY to join the planetary "gathering" August 14th -16th. On August 15th, at around 7:30 PM, look for a tight clustering of Venus, Saturn, & Mercury, low on the Western horizon, with Mars to the upper left (SE) of the trio. Venus will be relatively easy to spot, while Saturn & Mercury, just below Venus, might require binoculars. (Mercury is the brighter of the two). The 3 conjunct planets will be setting by 7:45.
Scorpius, the giant scorpion is easily recognizable, as a "J" or fish-hook shape, (Ka Makau Nui O Maui), in the southern sky. Antares, the red supergiant star which is in the middle of the scorpion's curving body, is one of the largest stars in our stellar neighborhood. For further details and an August sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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