July had a couple of interesting events including the planetary alignments during the early part of the month and with the weather cooperating, for the most part, we were able to get in several good viewing sessions. August will provide us with a several interesting sights including the Persied Meteor Shower, Comet C/2017 K2, and the presentation of the Summer Night Sky.
Highlights: The 1st will have Mars passing to the south of Uranus. Lunar 1st quarter occurs on the 5th. Then on the 10th the Moon reaches perigee at 223,587 miles. Full Moon is on the 11th as it passes to the south of Saturn. The early morning hours of the 12th will be when the Perseids peak. On the 14th, the Moon will pass to the south of Neptune and Saturn will reach opposition. On the 15th the Moon will pass to the south of Jupiter and then to the north of Uranus on the 18th. Lunar 3rd quarter will occur on the 19th as the Moon passes to the north of Mars. The Moon reaches apogee on the 22nd at a distance of 251,915 miles. On the 25th, the Moon will pass to the north of Venus. New Moon occurs on the 27th and Mercury reaches its highest point in the western sky on the 28th. The Moon will pass to the north of Mercury on the 29th.
Comets: Comet c/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) is moving out of Ophiuchus toward the southwest into western Scorpio. It will pass fairly close to M107 (to its west) during the first couple of days of the month and will be passing to the west of M80 during the closing days of the month. Viewing it will require the use of good binoculars or a small scope under fairly dark skies.
Planetary Report: The Sun Leo. Mercury moves from Leo into Virgo. Venus is moving from Gemini into Leo. Mars is in Taurus. Jupiter is in Pisces, Saturn is in Capricorn. Uranus has moved into Taurus. Neptune is in Pisces and Pluto is between Sagittarius and Capricorn. The Dwarf Planet Ceres is moving into Leo.
Meteors: The Perseid Meteor Shower will peak ~4am on the 12th at a projected rate of 100/hr, however with it being only one day after Full Moon, the Moon will still be shining brightly at peak and will probably obscure all but the brightest meteors and fireballs. Meteors associated with the Perseid Shower will be visible from around July 17th thru the 24th of August.
Planet Visibility: Morning hours: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. Mid-night hours: Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto.
Dark Sky Viewing for August starts on the 16th and continues thru the 31st. Odyssey Astronomy Club viewing sessions are scheduled for August 20th and 27th.
For information about Ten Acre Observatory, the Odyssey Astronomy Club or to schedule an appointment to come out for a visit, contact us at 405-899-4016, message us on Facebook or email us at: orion2c@yahoo.com. A visit to the observatory and the use of our equipment and facilities is always FREE. Visit, Like and Follow us on Facebook.
