What’s Up: August 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Top Skywatching Tips of the Year NASA for August they include a meeting of Jupiter y Martea look at meteors from the Perseids and a view of the Lagoon Nebula.
The space agency shared its suggestions for what to look out for in the night sky over the coming weeks in a video we’ve embedded at the top of this page.
Marte
In August, Mars can be seen passing by Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. You’ll be able to see them appear at their closest point on the morning of August 14, when they’ll appear to be just a third of a degree away, which is less than the width of the full moon.
After that, Mars will quickly move away from Jupiter, although on August 27, the crescent moon brings the two planets together to form a trio in the morning sky.
Perseids
The Perseid meteor shower returns this month. This year’s peak night to view the Perseids is August 11 and runs through morning twilight the following day. Viewing conditions are expected to be favorable this year, as the moon will set around 11:30 p.m. local time, ensuring a reduction in disruptive light from our nearest neighbor. Just keep your fingers crossed for clear skies.
Meteor activity will accelerate from late evening to dawn, according to NASA, and those in a dark viewing location can expect to see up to 75 meteors per hour.
“The Perseids appear to originate from a spot in the sky that rises in the northeast, so lie down and look roughly in that direction, but try to take in as much of the sky as you can in your view, as meteors can appear all over the place,” NASA said.
Lagoon Nebula
August is a good month to observe the Lagoon Nebula, which, like all nebulae, is made up of a giant cloud of dust and gas with many bright young stars.
Estimated to be between 4,000 and 6,000 light-years away from Earth, Neubula Lagoon is located in the constellation Sagittarius.
“Its oblong structure is about 100 light-years long by about 50 light-years wide,” NASA said. “It is a hotbed of intense star-forming activity, with many young stars shining brightly, causing the surrounding gas to glow. That glow is faint and colorless when the Lagoon Nebula is viewed through binoculars, but long-exposure photos reveal its colorful nature.”
The Lagoon Nebula appears high in August for people viewing the skies from the Southern Hemisphere, and quite low for those at higher northern latitudes, but is visible in the lower 49 U.S. states.
The video offers some tips on how to spot the Lagoon Nebula, but a decent astronomy app can also help.
