Sky this Week
The following is a list of some astronomical objects and events to watch this week, Aug 26 thru Sept. 1, 2007. Some of the events and times given are specific to the Colorado front range (40° N and the MDT timezone).
Highlights
- Watch the total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning from 2:30 am to 5:22 am MDT
- Watch the film “Seeing in the Dark” at the CU Fiske planetarium on Wednesday, Aug 29 at 7:00 pm
- Aurigid meteor shower Saturday, Sept 1 starting around 4:30 am MDT
International Space Station
There are no visible passes this week.
Sun
This week the Sun rises at 6:24 am to 6:30 am MDT and sets 7:45 pm to 7:35 pm MDT. Region 10969 rotated into view last Monday and will be at center disk Monday. See image from Aug 22. It has been growing in size slowly and produced a C2 and a B3.4 class flare on Aug 24. Solar activity is expected to remain at very low levels this week.
Moon
The Moon is full next Tuesday Aug 28 at 04:35 am MDT.
The lunar eclipse begins eary Tuesday morning around 1:53:39 am MDT when the Moon enters the faint outer portion of the Earth’s shadow or the ‘penumbra’. This will be difficult to see visually until about 2:30 am MDT. At 02:51:16 am MDT the Moon will enter the darker inner portion of the Earth’s shadow or ‘umbra’. At 3:52:22 am the total eclipse begins and lasts until 5:22:24 am MDT.
The eclipse may be a challenge for photographers as a large variation in shadow brightness is expected. The southern portion of the eclipsed moon is expected to be considerably brighter than the northern half.
See diagram at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2007Aug28/image/TLE2007Aug28-MDT.GIF and full article (basis for this note) at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2007.html
Planets
Mercury is not visible.
Venus is visible in the constellation Cancer low in the east about an hour before sunrise. Its brightness increases this week from magnitude +1 to -0.1.
Mars rises 0:07 am to 11:56 pm MDT in constellation Taurus. By the end of the week it will +0.3 magnitude in brightness, 8.2 arc sec across, and 86% illuminated.
Best time to view Mars is just before sunrise when it is high up (around 5 am). The martian features Sinus Meridiani, Mare Erythraeum, and Solis Lacus are visible early in the week. Later in the week Sinus Sabeaus will be in view.
Jupiter is in the SSW after sunset, it sets from 0:06 to 11:33 pm this week. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot crosses the center at the following times this week:
Tues. Aug. 28 at 07:44 pm
Thur. Aug. 30 at 09:23 pm
Sat. Sept. 1 at 11:02 pm
Saturn is not visible. It was in conjunction with the Sun on Aug 21.
Uranus is in constellation Aquarius, magnitude 5.7, and 3.6 arc-sec in diameter.
Neptune is in constellation Capricornus, magnitude 7.8, and 2.5 arc-sec in diameter.
Pluto is in constellation Sagitarrius, magnitute 13.7, and 0.1 arc-sec in diameter.
Comets
No reasonably bright comets are visible this week.
Asteroids
There are 8 asteroids brighter than magnitude +10 this week. Locations are for Sat. Sept. 1 at 10:30 pm MDT.
Name Const RA Dec Mag
1 Ceres Cetus 03:31:41 +09 28'27" 8.6
2 Pallas Pegasus 22:27:39 +04 24'17" 8.8
4 Vesta Scorpio 16:40:55 -21 31'22" 7.3
8 Flora Cetus 03:41:13 +11 14'15" 9.6
12 Victoria Pisces 01:04:35 +19 46'22" 9.9
30 Urania Aquarius 22:47:43 -05 22'40" 9.7
115 Thyra Pegasus 22:40:41 +04 31'52" 9.9
194 Prokne Aquarius 21:33:29 -08 38'58" 9.8
Dark Sky
Not much dark sky until the end of the week.
Meteor Showers
The odds are pretty small but there is a rare opportunity to observe the Alpha Aurigid meteor shower early in the morning on Sept. 1st, around 4:30 till twilight interferes around 5am; the peak is expected at 5:37 AM MDT. We’ll miss the peak here in Colorado, those on the west coast will have a better view. See article at http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html#aurigids
and http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/08aug_aurigids.htm
August 29th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
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