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Tonight’s Sky: Highlights of the August Sky – Constellations, Deep-Sky Objects, Planets and Events (Hubblesite video)
Wednesday, July 31, 2013 7:05
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Morning Planets – Early in the month, Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury line up in the eastern morning sky.
Mercury slips into the horizon by mid-month, while Mars and Jupiter rise higher in
the pre-dawn sky.
Watch the video (HD) here:
Image: Hubblesite.org
Constellations and Deep-Sky Objects
The great constellation Cygnus, the Swan, flies high through the August night.
Using bright Vega as your guide star, look for the cross just to the east. Cygnus is also known as the Northern Cross.
Cygnus also hosts several clusters of stars. Image: Hubblesite.org
Events
The Perseid meteor shower is an always-anticipated feature of the August night sky.
Look for meteors during the early morning hours of August 12th and 13th.
These streaks of light are tiny bits of a comet burning up as they enter Earth’s
atmosphere.
The cometary debris trail, through which Earth passes once a year,
was left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle during its many visits to the inner solar system
The Perseid meteor shower is an always-anticipated feature of the August night.sky. Image: Hubblesite.org
Credits
Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, Office of Public Outreach
