August Begins With a Full Moon – August 1-5, 2020
The night of Saturday, August 1, through early morning, Wednesday, August 5th, the moon will appear full – the actual full moon will occur Monday, August 3, 2020, just before noon. This particular August full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon, named by the Algonquin tribes that lived in what is now the northeastern United States. It was named because during this time of year, the large sturgeon fish were easier to catch in the Great Lakes. This moon is also known by other names such as the Green Corn Moon.
Mars: August 8-9
On this weekend, Saturday night toward Sunday morning, Mars will appear near the waning gibbous Moon, less than three degrees to the left of the Moon. The two celestial bodies will appear closest to each other on Sunday morning, about an hour before twilight, at which time Mars will appear above the Moon.
August 12 – Mercury
About 30 minutes before sunrise on the morning of August 12, 2020, Mercury will rise. It will likely be too close to dawn to see Mercury that moring. Five days later, Mercury will pass the far side of the Sun (as seen from Earth).
August 15 – Venus
The planet Venus will appear below the waning crescent Moon this morning. The pair will appear in the east approximately 30 degrees above the horizon as morning twilight begins.
August 18: Black Moon
On this Tuesday evening, at 7:41 p.m. Pacific Time, the new Moon will not be visible from Earth. This season has four new Moons, and this is the third, known as a “Black Moon.”
August 22: Spica
On this evening, Spica, a bright star, will appear to the lower left of the waxing crescent Moon.
Other Celestial Events This Month
Comet NEOWISE will continue to dim. It will be moving farther away but will appear higher in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, which will make it easier to view with a telescope. It is difficult to predict how many more evenings it will be visible by telescope.
Daily periods of sunlight will continue to get shorter. By the time the next full moon rolls around on September 2, 2020, sunrise at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C. will be approximately 27 minutes later than it will be on Monday, August 3rd.
This summer is a good one for watching Jupiter and Saturn, especially if you have a telescope in your backyard. They were closest and brightest in mid-July, but they will shift toward the west as the summer continues, so they will be visible earlier in the evening sky. With a telescope, Saturn’s illuminated rings should be visible, as well as its moons, in particular its largest moon, Titan.
The following YouTube video made by NASA highlights some of the celestial occurrences we can look forward to this month.
Meteor Showers: Perseids & Southern-Delta Aquarids
Keep a watch for meteors if you find yourself in a location with dark, clear skies away from city lights. Especially if it is near or after midnight but before any signs of dawn. The Southern Delta-Aquarids should remain active through August 23, but they are best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
Viewing conditions for the Perseid meteor shower are also not ideal this year, but the best time to catch a glimpse will be late Tuesday night, August 11th, or the early morning hours of August 12, 2020. Moonlight will make it hard to see some of the meteors. The best viewing conditions will be if the weather is clear and you can get to a place without light pollution. Position yourself somewhere with a wide expanse of the sky, using something to block direct moonlight so that your night vision is not affected.
When you begin to look for meteors, always give your eyes time to adapt to the darkness. You will likely see more meteors from the corners of your eyes. Your night vision will improve over the course of an hour or more, with the most improvement within the initial 35-45 minutes. Even a brief exposure to light such as glancing at the moon, or catching a passing car’s headlights, will affect your night vision, necessitating an adaptation to the darkness all over again. For this reason, when meteor viewing, do not turn on your phone to look at the time.
Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a car accident lawyer in Sacramento. If you are seeking compassionate, free, and friendly advice after being involved in a car accident that was not your fault, do not hesitate to reach out to my law firm at (916) 921-6400 or toll-free from outside the Sacramento area at (800) 404-5400.
I have worked tirelessly on behalf of injured Sacramentans for nearly four decades.
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