What’s Up in the Night Sky? – August 2020

Fred Barrett | Aug 05, 2020

The summer nights in August are still long, giving us more time for observing. This is great because the main event this month is the annual Perseid meteor shower. Comet Neowise was a good show last month (I didn’t put it in my column - I thought it would break up like the one the month before) but the Perseids can be counted on every August for a prime spectacle. The Perseids is arguably the best meteor shower of the year. It has a high rate of meteors with a large number of bright ones. With the clear nights we’ve been having lately, there should be more than a few nights of excellent viewing. The shower effectively lasts from July 17 to August 24 and peaks the night of August 11 and 12 , but the nights leading up to the peak, and following the peak can have quite a few meteors as the leading and following particles of the swarm arrive. The Perseid debris is from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle discovered in 1862. A bright meteor is seldom bigger than a pea and most are closer in size to a grain of sand. The heat from the Sun turns the comet’s ice into gas that releases trapped dust particles that leave a trail as it travels around the Sun. The Earth crosses this trail about the same time every year and when the particles hit our atmosphere, they create a blazing column of gas that provides us with the beautiful show we see above us.

A meteor shower is named after the constellation that contains its radiant or point from which it radiates. In this case, it is the constellation Perseus. The best time for viewing is late in the evening as Perseus rises higher in the north eastern sky. At dawn, it reaches its highest point. There is one blip though. The last quarter Moon rises in the east about 1 am EDT. Be thankful it isn’t a full Moon - a Moon that is half illuminated only reflects one tenth the light of a Full Moon. This year’s shower at peak should present a rate of 1 to 2 meteors per minute or 100 meteors per hour. Pre dawn is the best time to watch since the Earth has rotated directly into the path of the debris particles. The best meteors are seen by not looking directly at the radiant. The streaks will be short because, in essence, you’re looking down the gun barrel or directly at them. Look off to the sides about 20 to 30 degrees. With one arm extended, count about 3 to 5 fist widths away from the radiant. That should do it. Make sure to be comfortable. Bring a chair, bug spray, a warm coat in case of late night chill and some snacks and drinks (no booze – double vision and falling asleep are inevitable).

Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast in the evening sky and always a delight. By midnight, they have moved to the south and now Mars rises up in the east to share the sky with them. By morning, Mars is well above the horizon in the southeast. By the end of August, Mars is about 60 degrees above the horizon and directly south by 4 am EDT. From now to mid December is the best time to view Mars in the early morning sky. It’s not the only candy in the sky. In early August by 3:30 am EDT, Venus is a searchlight in the east.

August highlights: August 3: Full Moon. This is known as the Full Sturgeon Moon – the best time to fish for Sturgeon in the Great Lakes. I call it the “last of several months fighting bugs of every sorts in my observatory” Full Moon. August 9: The Moon passes less than a degree south of Mars around 4 am EDT. The Moon is at apogee 402,310 Kms. August 11: Last quarter Moon. August 11/12: Perseid meteor shower peaks. August 15: The Moon passes 4 degrees north of Venus at 9 am EDT. Yes, I know it’s daylight, but Venus is so bright you stand a good chance of seeing it with the Moon acting as your guide. August 18: New Moon. August 21: The Moon is at perigee 361,400 Kms. August 25: First quarter Moon. August 28: The Moon passes 1.4 degrees south of Jupiter about 10 pm EDT. August 31: Mars is 60 degrees high in the southeast. It’s a great month for looking up!

“The Beginner’s Observing Guide by Leo Enright is an invaluable companion for adventures in the sky. It also contains useful star charts. It can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website as well.

Let me know how your observing has gone this month, especially anything unusual. I enjoy the feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions you can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Clear Skies! Fred.