What’s Up Above? August Stargazing
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- 10 min read
The dog days of summer arrive in August. They are long, hot, sticky, muggy, uncomfortable, and miserable days. A time when summer exerts full force on all creatures, great and small, plants, and psyches. They are sultry exhausting days where finding respite from “them barking dogs” drive behavior. The result of this oppressive heat? Drought, lethargy, fever, unexpected thunderstorms, bad luck, and mad men.
What to make of these August dog days? How did this all begin? Of course, as you know by now, the answers are found in the night sky above. In the stars that shimmer, the planets that wander, and summer’s Grand River of effervescent light flowing overhead.
Travel with me to the southern hemisphere to the land of Egypt, and the time of pyramids, pharaohs, and prophecies. Then as it is today, the Dog Star, Sirius, reigns as one of the brightest stars in the night, if not “the” brightest star in the night. The ancient astronomers were keenly aware of Sirius; its prominence and predictable return. They watch it closely. They quickly learned that the rise and disappearance of the star Sirius in the early dawn in the eastern sky, was a precursor of the annual flooding of the Nile River, and guided farmers when to plant.
In the northern hemisphere, the Greeks believed the rise of Sirius ushered in heat and consequently, fever. The Romans continued to blame Sirius for the heat of the season and associated lethargy and diseases. All of this due to a bright star.
Is the universe telling us to cool the jets, and relax? Maybe so. What if this dog-gone heat of August is possibly intended to slow life down, relax, and look for relief?
If this is so, then here’s a suggestion. Find your respite from the day heat under the splendid cool canopy of our night sky. So, you ask what’s up above this month?
You just can’t miss this year’s Perseid meteor shower the evening of August 12th into the morning of the 13th. Mark on your calendar now! The peak of the Perseids arrives just one day following the New Moon which means our solar system’s streetlight is turned off by the time the shower begins. The best meteor shower of the year just got a whole lot better. For us living here in the Colorado high country, some estimates are between 50 – 70 meteors an hour. That’s impressive.
Then there’s a deep partial lunar eclipse on August 27th – 28th. How much closer can one get to a full lunar eclipse than a partial eclipse that’s 96% fully inside the Earth’s shadow? Even better, it’s not blasted cold outside and the eclipse takes place at a reasonable hour. If that doesn't motivate you, then know that this August lunar eclipse is the best lunar eclipse visible anywhere on Earth until New Year’s Eve 2028. Now, you decide.
Our monthly calendar begins with a call for us to gaze upon the center of the galaxy we call home.
Our Galactic Home’s Center, The entire month of August
The Milky Way Galaxy, our island home in the expanding universe, is a barred spiral galaxy. Imagine an ingot bar of gold, rectangle shape. At each end of the bar is an arm that spirals as the bar turns. In the middle and center of the ingot is the center of our galaxy: The Galactic Center of the Milky Way. The center is visible with your naked eye, which is recommended. That’s because observing it through a telescope or binoculars limits your view of its expansive size.
To find our galactic center, get to a dark location where light pollution is limited, at best. Wait till our view of the Orion Spur of the Milky Way is high in the sky, any time after 10pm local time. The Orion Spur runs from the northern horizon, diagonally south across the celestial dome, and setting in the south southwest horizon – it is a hazy band of light formed from stars that your naked eye cannot resolve or distinguish. The galactic center is located near the border of the constellations, Sagittarius and Scorpius, residing just above the southwestern horizon. It is a large, significantly brighter area in the night sky. Seeing it takes little effort. Once you see it, you’ll understand why astronomers can’t use optical telescopes to penetrate that region. Yes, and you are correct, it is in the galactic center of the Milky Way that our own galaxy’s black hole was discovered in 2022, near the star, Sagittarius A*. The discovery of our super massive black hole happened by using radio and infrared telescopes, measuring the energy created from the extreme heat of cosmic dust and gas falling into our mysterious black hole.
The Summer Triangle, The entire month of August
The Summer Triangle is what astronomers call an asterism. This means a group of stars of similar magnitude (brightness) form the pattern of its name, as in the Big Dipper, the Coathanger, and the Southern Cross. In our case, it is a scalene triangle pattern formed by the brightest stars in the constellations of Aquila (The Eagle), Cygnus (The Swan), and Lyra (The Lyre). Good news! You don’t need binoculars or a telescope to find summer again.
The brightest of the triangle’s three stars is Vega, in the constellation of Lyra. Mythology tells us that the first lyre (harp) was made by Hermes and given to Apollo. When Orpheus played the lyre, rocks were charmed and it hushed the voices of the dangerous Sirens.
The next brightest star of the triangle is Deneb, in the constellation Cygnus. Our mythological story continues and connects the Swan and the Lyre. The story goes, after Orpheus was murdered, he transformed into a swan and placed in the night sky next to his beloved lyre.
The Summer Triangle’s final star is Altair, in the constellation of Aquila. The Eagle’s mythology is that it carried Zeus’ lightning bolts. For the Polynesian cultures of the Pacific, Aquila is central in their agriculture, and navigation of the seas.
On any clear August night, get outside about an hour after sunset. Orient yourself to face south and look directly towards the southern horizon. Now, from the horizon lift your chin up and tilt your head way back till you are looking straight up above at the highest point in the sky. You will see a very bright star in your right eye (Vega), and a slightly dimmer star in your left (Deneb). Next, draw an imaginary line connecting the two and split it in half. At that midpoint, keep looking up at the sky and slowly bring your chin and head back down towards the southern horizon. At twice the length of your imaginary line (drawn between Vega and Deneb) you’ll see the last star of the Summer Triangle, Altair. Remember, an asterism requires most of the stars to be of similar magnitude. The stars will be the most luminous objects in that slice of the sky at that time of night.
All Together Now: An Early Morning Planetary Alignment, August 12th
Planets are special. They beckon us, they dance for us, and sometimes, they make a spectacle of themselves by lining up in an arc across the sky to show off their majestic character and differences. When this happens, it’s worth getting up a little earlier to enjoy the spectacle of a planetary arc across the heavens. You’ll be able to see three of them with your naked-eye. From left (east) to right (west) they are Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn. To see Neptune and Uranus you’ll need binoculars or a telescope. Which is easy enough as they all along the same diagonal line you’ll draw from the Moon, through Jupiter to Mars. Continue to extend the diagonal line up from Mars, and Saturn is the same distance from Mars, as the Moon is to Mars.
How to view the alignment. Get outside after 5:30am and orient yourself by looking towards the east-northeastern horizon. Now scan your view of the sky from that point on the horizon up at a diagonal to the east, then to the east-southeast, to the south. In the east Mercury is a specific point of light that doesn’t twinkle sitting about one fists width above the horizon along the diagonal starting with the Moon, traveling through Jupiter, which is reddish in color and bigger. Mars, it’s unmistakably red, and bright. Finally, alone at the far end of our imaginary diagonal line is Saturn floating in the pre-dawn sky. It is a tiny pale yellow, or golden-white greenish dot of light that doesn’t twinkle. Many see the god of harvest and time shining steady with a soft buttery glow.
The Granddaddy of Them All: The Perseid Meteor Shower Peak, August 12th – 13th
Most meteor showers come from comets. A comet is like a dirty dusty compressed snowball of ice. As its orbit brings it nearer to the Sun, it warms up and ice turns it into gas, releasing the dust into space. When the Earth, following its ceaseless orbit, enters the trail of particles left by a passing comet, some of the granular meteoroids burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This is a meteor shower. Perseid meteoroids results from Comet 109/P Swift-Tuttle, discovered in July, 1862. As for the Perseid meteor shower this year peaks on August 12th into the early morning of the 13th. Prime viewing time is after 4pm up to sunrise.
To celebrate the Perseid, first reach wide and far to gather your friends and family together for the shower. It is more fun having multiple sets of eyes scanning the sky, and hearing the excitement when a meteor streaks by.
Second, get to a dark location away from urban light glare and sky glow. Find an unobstructed view of the north northeast horizon. Around 10:00pm local time, look for the constellation Cassiopeia having just risen above the north northeast horizon. This constellation looks like the capital letter “W '' and is just a bit squished. This is where the meteors will radiate. By midnight the namesake constellation of Perseus is in full view.
Third, give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness to achieve night vision allowing you to see the fainter meteors. Bring a chair, a blanket and dress warm. You’ll want to be comfortable since you’ll be outside for some time. This year is anticipated to be great with 50-70 meteors predicted per hour. Meteors don’t arrive at a steady rate. In one hour you’ll see 10 meteors in 5 minutes; then, not another single meteor for 45 minutes. It’s that anticipation that makes meteor showers “edge of your seat” entertainment. Finally, the shower improves as the radiant point moves up higher in the night sky. The later you stay up, more meteors will reward you. Get out and take a peek at the Perseids! It’ll be the bomb!
A Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse, August 27th – 28th
Oh, are we not lucky? Summer eclipses are the best. I mean, how can it get better? Evening temperatures are comfortable and it stays that way for many well into late night. (Lucky dogs.) More so, frequently, these eclipses’ occur at a reasonable hour. When these two come together, it’s a stargazer dream come true, and that’s just what takes place on the evening of the 27th till early the morning of the 28th.
Did you know that lunar eclipses only occur at Full Moons, and are visible anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at the time? As the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, the Earth casts its shadow on the Moon. Since the Moon’s orbit is tipped around 5 degrees off-plane, in relation to the Earth and Sun, that straight line usually isn’t entirely straight. A lunar eclipse is the result of the Moon crossing that plane of the Earth and Sun at the same time of a Full Moon.
The eclipse we’ll experience on the 27th and 28th is a partial lunar eclipse. This is when the Moon only partially enters the Earth’s umbral shadow. Partially? Heck, for this eclipse, 96% of the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. That’s more than “partial” in my book. (Take a look for yourself. Can you see that thin slice outside the penumbra?)
The entire eclipse spans a bit over five hours, yet all the phases visible to the naked eye is about three and a half hours. For the majority of the United States, the entire eclipse is visible, soup to nuts. Here’s the times you need to know:
● 7:35pm: Penumbral phase begins (subtle shading starts)
● 8:35pm: Partial eclipse begins (visible "bite" appears)
● 10:14pm: Maximum eclipse (96% coverage)
● 11:52pm: Partial eclipse ends
● 1:02am, August 28: Penumbral phase ends
Okay, this is an easy one to make happen. Ink August 27 – 28 on the calendar. Alert the peeps; cuz this kind of celestial geometry is better when shared. Three worlds lining up in a row. You tell me. Is there anything quite like watching celestial alignments happen in real-time with ones you like and love beside you?
Plus, there’s no astronomical gear required to see a lunar eclipse, but binoculars help. All you need is your family and friends, comfy chairs, and all outdoor lights turned off (If you’re not in a dark location.). Make it a party. Get the popcorn, pass around the thermos, wear socks, lie on blankets, and look up for some of the best original big-screen nocturnal night time entertainment of the year.
The Full Sturgeon Full Moon, August28th
Come back with me to a time when cellphones, watches, clocks and sundials didn’t exist. For our ancient brethren, time was measured, marked, and described by the movement of objects in the night sky. None more prominent than our Moon. And it wasn’t just for the indigenous peoples of North America who connected a life sustaining event to the cycle of the Moon. For them, the August Full Moon brought them a season of abundance, in the form of sturgeon fish. This Sturgeon Full Moon’s full phase occurs at 1:54am local time.
For the Celtic traditions, the god of Lugh, the deity of light and agriculture is recognized through festival offerings of gratitude for the first fruits of the harvest. For the Polynesian and Hawaiian cultures this moon played a central role in the tide and fishing as August is associated with abundant fishing and planting. In the Hindu tradition this full moon is called Shravan Purnima and is sacred. It is a moon to begin spiritual observance, fasting, and pilgrimage.
Whether you are like the ancient Romans and blame the star Sirius for your irritability and lethargy, or not, you deserve a break from the oppressive dog days of summer. Find relief from the day’s heat on a cool August night; get out and get under a shimmering luminous sky full of pin pricks of light and orbit objects. And feel at home in the cosmos.
Take in a deep breath or three with the sight of the first star. Ah, now you’re ready. Place your feet up and put those barking dog days of August to rest. And remember, that sometimes the universe doesn't just welcome you home, it invites you to bring a friend along.
Clear skies to you!
