The Ellensburg, WA sky for the week of August 3, 2019

Saturday:  The Perseid meteor shower is next weekend. But the Moon will be full then so it may be better to do your Perseid viewing this week. The meteors appear to come from a point just below the W of the constellation Cassiopeia. This point is about two and a half fists held upright and at arm’s length above the northeast horizon at 11 p.m. By dawn, this point is about seven fists above the northeast horizon. If you fall asleep or forget to set your alarm, you will be able to observe this shower from about 11 p.m. to dawn for the next few nights in about the same location in the sky. The Perseid shower is one of the longest lasting showers. The Moon will be new or close to new for the next few nights. For tips about optimizing your viewing this year, go to http://earthsky.org/?p=2087. As your Mother might say, dress warm and sit in a comfortable chair for maximum enjoyment. These meteors are sand to pea-sized bits of rock that fell off of Comet Swift-Tuttle. They are traveling about 40 miles per second as they collide with the Earth and burn up in the atmosphere.

Sunday: Saturn is two fists above the south horizon at 11 p.m.

Monday: Spica is less than a fist to the lower left of the Moon at 9 p.m.

Tuesday: Many big city dwellers never see the milky white, nearly continuous band of stars known as the Milky Way. As cities grow and add more lights, it has become harder to see the bulk of the Milky Way galaxy, our home in the universe. But, there are two easy ways to see the Milky Way. The first way is to look in the mirror. You are part of the Milky Way. The second way is to look from the north-northeastern horizon through the point nearly straight overhead (called the zenith) to the south-southwestern horizon from 10:00 p.m. to midnight for the next few weeks. This is the time of year when the Milky Way is highest in the sky and away from the city lights on the horizon.

Wednesday: Mercury is near its greatest western elongation for the next few mornings, meaning it is a far as it will get from the Sun in the morning sky this orbit.

Thursday: When the Moon is full, as it will be next week, it is difficult to see dim objects in the sky because of the sky glow. But why struggle to find dim objects when there is so much to see on the big, bright object in front of you? The lunar crater called Tycho is best seen during a full Moon. Tycho was formed about 109 million years ago when an asteroid struck the Moon, leaving a crater over 50 miles in diameter and ejected dust trails that radiate out hundreds of miles in all directions. For more lunar highlights, go to http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/ObserveMoon.pdf, a resource of the Night Sky Network.

Friday: The Moon, Jupiter, and Antares make a line in the sky today. Jupiter is less than half a fist to the lower right of the Moon and Antares is about a half a fist beyond Jupiter. By the way, I did say “today”. This would be a good day to try see Jupiter while the Sun is out. First find the Moon two fists above the south-southeastern horizon at 8 p.m. Jupiter is about two finger widths to the right-lower right of the Moon. It would help to find it with binoculars first.

The positional information in this column about stars and planets is typically accurate for the entire week. For up to date information about the night sky, go to https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/planner.cfm.