Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also applies to northern hemisphere mid-northern latitudes). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: August 5-11, 2024
This week will see the peak of everyone’s favorite annual meteor shower, the Perseids, just as solar activity ramps up. Could we see “shooting stars” and the Northern Lights combined next weekend? It’s definitely possible.
But that’s not all that’s happening above us this week. There’s something extraordinary about seeing a crescent moon shine close to Venus, the brightest planet in the night sky. That will happen after sunset on Monday when the two appear at their closest of the year, though it will be a tricky sight to see. Be outside as soon as the sun goes down.
The rest of the week, you can spend leisurely taking in post-sunset views of the crescent moon as it gradually waxes, appearing slightly higher in the western sky. Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:
Monday, August 5: Venus And A Crescent Moon
A waxing crescent moon, just 2% illuminated, will be seen to shine half a degree from the very bright planet Venus. Look to the northwestern horizon after sunset to see the pair shining together. You’ll need a view low to the horizon and, to locate the moon, perhaps a pair of binoculars.
If you can find both, try finding Regulus (the brightest star in the constellation Leo) directly below them and, to the lower-left, dim Mercury, which will have a reddish look.
Tuesday, August 6: Venus, Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
Tonight, a slender 6%-lit waxing crescent moon will shine above the western horizon after dusk. Look carefully, and you’ll see the “dark side” of the moon subtly lit by “Earthshine”—sunlight reflected off our planet’s oceans and icecaps and back onto the moon. Venus will be in the same position as the previous night.
Wednesday, August 7: Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
Here’s another chance to catch the crescent moon displaying “Earthshine.” It will be 11%-lit and be slightly higher above the west after sunset.
Thursday, August 8: Crescent Moon And ‘Earthshine’
Now 18% lit, the crescent moon will continue to dazzle after dark in the western sky.
Friday, August 9: Moon And Spica
A now 26%-lit waxing crescent moon will tonight shine above the southwest about four degrees from Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo and the 15th brightest in the night sky. It’s about 250 light-years distant.
Sunday-Monday, August 11-12: Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks
The year’s most popular meteor shower will peak at about 60 “shooting stars” each hour overnight tonight, according to the American Meteor Society. With a first quarter moon setting on Monday just before midnight, conditions will be perfect, with the best views expected to be about 01:00 a.m. local time (wherever you are in the northern hemisphere) as the apparent source of the shower, the constellation Perseus, rises high into the sky.
The “shooting stars”—grains of dust that strike Earth’s atmosphere—are the leftovers of comet Swift-Tuttle. Get somewhere away from light pollution, or at the very least, make sure there are no bright lights in your field of vision.
Constellation of the week: Hercules
Hercules can be a tricky constellation to locate because its stars are relatively dim, but it’s worth finding for one reason—the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules (also known as M13). One of the largest constellations in the night sky, Hercules is a vast collection of fairly dim stars between two bright summer stars—Vega in Lyra and Arcturus in Boötes.
The most easily identifiable part of the square is its “Keystone,” which happens to be home to M13. The closest and the brightest globular cluster to us in the northern hemisphere, this halo of tightly packed stars is about 25,000 light-years distant and looks terrific in a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
A globular cluster is a cluster of ancient stars that likely formed outside our Milky Way galaxy and now orbits in its outskirts. M13 is the brightest and best one from the northern hemisphere, but there are 150 known.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like SkySafari Pro, Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset, and moonrise/moonset times to see where you are.
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Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
