JulAugSep2020

Night Sky Highlights for July-September 2020

Solar System

Perseid Meteor Shower
Peaks on the night of August 12-13
Weather permitting, this should be a pretty good year for observing the Perseids because on the peak night, the Moon will be a waning crescent, rising in the early morning hours. It is always worth remembering that the Perseids are visible for quite a few nights before and after the peak. If you have a clear night either before or after August 12, it can be fun to gaze up from a reclining chair under a dark sky and watch the show.

Mercury
The best chance to see Mercury this summer will be in the eastern sky before dawn during middle to late July. It reaches its greatest western elongation (greatest angle from the Sun as seen from Earth) on July 22.

Venus
Venus moved into the eastern sky in June, and it will visible in the east during the pre-dawn hours throughout the summer. As usual it will be very bright and hard to miss, at magnitude -4 or brighter.

Mars
Mars gets closer and closer to the Earth throughout the summer as it approaches its opposition in October. Its size and brightness will steadily increase. In July it will rise around midnight and have an angular diameter of about 12″. This will increase to about 16″ in August and about 21″ in September, when it rises soon after sunset and will be well placed for observation later in the evening.

Jupiter
On July 14, Jupiter reaches opposition (opposite to the Sun in the sky, so it rises just as the Sun sets). Located in western Sagittarius, it will be ideally placed for observation during the evening throughout the summer. Jupiter will be less than 10 degrees away from Saturn this summer.

Saturn
Saturn closely trails Jupiter as these two planets cross the sky during the evening hours this summer. It reaches opposition on July 20, less than a week after Jupiter. This will be an excellent summer for observing these two gas giants.

Uranus
Located in Aries, Uranus will be in the morning sky this summer, rising before midnight in September.

Neptune
Neptune is in Aquarius, appearing at about magnitude 7.8. It rises in mid-evening during August and around sunset in September as it reaches opposition on September 11. To find either Neptune or Uranus, you will need a go-to scope or a finder chart such as the one in this article from the Sky & Telescope website:

www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/planets/ice-giants-neptune-and-uranus/

Deep Sky Objects

For those who enjoy observing the night sky, there are some classic targets that never disappoint. Here are some old favorites that deserve a good long look on a clear, dark summer night. For each of these objects there is a link to a star-hop chart if you need help in locating it.

Messier 6, the Butterfly Cluster
Open cluster in Scorpius
This beautiful open cluster is dimly visible to the naked eye from a dark location, and with a good pair of binoculars its butterfly shape starts to be visible. It is a very nice sight through telescopes of all sizes with a low-power eyepiece. Star-hop chart

Messier 7, Ptolemy’s Cluster
Open cluster in Scorpius
This open cluster is roughly twice as large and twice as close as nearby Messier 6. It is easy to see with the naked eye on a dark night if you have a good view of the southern sky. Its stars spread out an area of sky about twice the apparent size of the Moon, so a low-power eyepiece is needed to capture the whole object. Star-hop chart

Messier 8, the Lagoon Nebula
Diffuse nebula with open cluster in Sagittarius
This is probably the easiest diffuse nebula to see with the naked eye from the northern hemisphere. Once you find the teapot shape of Sagittarius, look above the spout for an oval glow about the size of the Moon. Through a telescope you will see that there is both a hazy nebula and an open cluster, NGC 6530. Star-hop chart

Messier 13 and NGC 6207
Globular cluster and galaxy in Hercules
The great Hercules cluster, M13, is a wonderful target for telescopes of medium to large aperture. The cluster is about 23,000 light years away and contains about half a million stars. About half a degree to the northeast is an 11th magnitude spiral galaxy, NGC 6207, which appears oblong with a brighter center. Star-hop chart

Messier 17, the Swan Nebula
Diffuse nebula in Sagittarius
This is a bright emission nebula that has the shape of a swan floating on a pond in profile.  Other nicknames are the Checkmark, Omega, or Horseshoe Nebula.  Its shape can even be seen in binoculars, and it does look something like a check mark. Star-hop chart

Messier 22
Globular cluster in Sagittarius
This is one of the closest globular clusters, and one of the most spectacular to observe with a medium to large telescope on a dark night. Through binoculars, Messier 22 is easy to spot just to the upper left of the star that marks the top of the Sagittarius teapot, appearing as a hazy ball.  Through a small scope, some of its stars can be resolved. Star-hop chart

Messier 24, the Sagittarius Star Cloud
Milky Way star cloud in Sagittarius
This dense patch of stars is easy to see with the naked eye, even with moderate light pollution. It looks like a small cloud, about 3 times the apparent size of the Moon, about 5 degrees above the lid of the Sagittarius teapot. With stars by the thousands in a small area of sky, this is a great region to explore with binoculars or a telescope with a wide-field eyepiece. Star-hop chart

Messier 57, the Ring Nebula
Planetary Nebula in Lyra
This iconic object looks like a smoke ring floating high in the summer sky. It has a high surface brightness so it stands up well to high magnification. Try high power and see how much detail you can observe.  Star-hop chart

Albireo
Double star in Cygnus
One of the most famous and colorful double stars, Albireo marks the head of Cygnus the Swan.  A telescope is needed to see that there are two stars, which are 35 arcseconds apart. It is not known whether the two stars are actually close together in space or are at very different distances. The brighter star is gold or orange, and the dimmer one is blue. Star-hop chart

Epsilon Lyrae, the Double-double
Pair of double stars in Lyra
With binoculars, Epsilon Lyra appears as a double-star. In fact, people with exceptional eyesight can see that it is double with the naked eye. Through a telescope at low to medium power, the two stars start to look elongated, and at higher power they both resolved into close double stars. A night of steady air is needed to see them well. Star-hop chart

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