A full moon rises seen from Hirzel, Switzerland.
Each Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy and eclipses.
What To Watch For In The Night Sky This Week: August 3-9, 2020
This week begins with Monday’s full Moon—variously known as the “Sturgeon Moon”, “Red Moon and “Grain Moon,” among many other names. Whatever it’s called, its rise and set when full will take place close to sunset and sunrise, respectively.
In a clear sky it will look glorious.
So too will a waning full Moon’s assault on Mars later this week when, on Saturday and Sunday, it gets to within a 0.8° of the “red planet.” That’s what stargazers call an occultation. Thursday will also see Mars at perihelion—the closest it gets to the Sun in 2020—and there’s a chance to see Venus and Mercury.
This is also a great week to find the beautiful constellation of Delphinus, the Dolphin, close to the can’t-miss-it “Summer Triangle.” All is explained, timed and mapped below.
The Delphinus (Dolphin) constellation.
Monday, August 3, 2020: ‘Sturgeon Moon’ and Mars closest to the Sun
August’s full moon will occur at 15:59 UTC—that’s 16:59 BST, 17:59 CEST, 11:59 EDT and 08:59 PDT. However, to appreciate it you should ignore those times and instead make a plan to watch it rise above the eastern horizon tonight after sunset. Only then will you see it rise as a briefly spectacular orangey orb.
Known as the “Sturgeon Moon” by some Native American tribes and as the “Grain Moon” in the UK, August’s full Moon will be visible all night, and hang relatively low in the night sky.
However, the rise of the full Moon takes place at a very specific time according to your location, so do check for the exact time of moonrise where you are and set aside 30 minutes from that rise time to observe. Be patient! It will appear ... unless clouds do first.
Mars is also at perihelion today—the point in its orbit when it gets closest to the Sun—which potentially triggers ferocious dust storms on the red planet.
How and when to see the Mars and the Moon in conjunction.
Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, 2020: Moonrise and a Mars-rise
A waning, 73% illuminated waning gibbous Moon will tonight make a very close apparent approach to Mars. Look east around midnight (so early on Saturday). Only those in North America will see the closest conjunction, at around 4:00 a.m. EDT on the morning of Saturday, August 8.
However, everyone can catch the two Solar System bodies apparently close to each other in the east after sunset on Friday, before sunrise on Saturday, or after sunset on Saturday.
Sunday, August 9, 2020: Mercury and Venus
This morning it’s worth watching Venus and trying for Mercury before sunrise. If you’ve never seen the Solar System’s smallest planet with the unaided eye, look just before sunrise in a north-easterly direction through binoculars to find this tiny red dot of a world. Be careful not to point your binoculars at the Sun as it rises. Venus will be far easier to find above it.
How to find Delphinus, the dolphin, close to the "Summer Triangle" asterism in summer night skies.
Constellation of the week: Delphinus
One of the smallest constellations in the night sky, Delphinus, the Dolphin, is—to my mind—also one of the most beautiful. It’s in the constellation of Aquarius, but close to the much easier to find “Summer Triangle.” Best found in summer skies, Delphinus los a little like a dolphins, but more like a diamond.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
