Every year in August, those interested can observe one of the most impressive natural phenomena - meteor shower in the constellation Perseus, Perseids. Starfall lasts several days, but its peak invariably falls on 12th of August. A meteor shower is not only a reason to go out of town with a whole bucket list, but also a great opportunity to practice shooting the starry sky.
Starry sky, August snowstorm,
There's a clutter of cars on the road,
They're carrying drought, but I'm happy,
I know for sure: the weather will change
The lines of the epigraph belong to the leader of the group Yuri Shevchuk. Few people know, but this phrase, included in the title of the fifteenth studio album of the group DDT « Blizzard of August"(2000), in Kazakhstan denote exactly Perseids. In the early 2000s, Yuri Yulianovich mentioned this in an interview, saying that the “blizzard of August” was a meteor shower in the Kazakh steppe.
In general, the Perseids are not the only meteor shower named after the constellation from which it appears. Here are the names of the following major starfalls: Draconids(October) - named after the constellation Draco, Leonids (november) - appear from the constellation Leo, the Geminids ( December) - from the constellation Gemini.
There wasn't much success in photographing meteors in 2016, however, any practice in photographing the sky will not be superfluous
Perseids- a fairly popular meteor shower, largely due to the fact that it is observed almost in midsummer. Warm, often dry weather allows you to spend several hours of the night outdoors without the risk of catching a cold.
This meteor shower is formed as a result of the Earth passing through a plume dust particles, left Comet Swift-Tuttle(109P/Swift-Tuttle). These are precisely dust particles several millimeters in size - this is important to remember, since many people confuse meteors with meteorites. The latter are so large that they often fall to Earth without having time to burn up in the atmosphere. Meteora burn completely, as a result of which we see a burning body and “tail”.
2016 Even if you didn’t manage to catch a meteor in your frame, don’t forget about other shooting options offered by a tripod and long shutter speeds
The Perseids are quite a phenomenon popular, so closer to the event many The media will definitely remind you to you about starfall and conditions for better observation of falling stars.
This year, 2017, it was predicted record flow - up 150 meteors per hour. Of course, this opportunity to catch meteors on camera could not be missed. Therefore, taking equipment and good company, I went photograph the starry sky.
Unlike this year, in 2016 the moon was very low above the horizon (see previous photo), so most of the sky was open for filming and observation (constellation Cassiopeia)
I’ll say right away that we didn’t see 150 meteors per hour. According to scientists, this figure refers to observations on completely open area outside the city in the absence of any sources of artificial light such as highway lighting, light in houses, and so on. Usually it is recommended to divide the predicted figure by 5-6. However, in the Kazakh steppe, 150 meteorites per hour probably really resemble snowfall.
This photo of the Big Dipper was taken directly from an apartment window. The only significant difference from other photographs is that that night there was a loss of electricity in several districts of Minsk. If this happens to you, don’t get lost and set up a tripod
The second factor influencing the observation was moon position. On the night of August 12-13, 2017, the moon was high, illuminating half the sky.
And finally clouds. This year the night was cloudless. However, somewhere around half past two clouds began to appear, covering almost the entire part of the sky not touched by moonlight, but after forty minutes they completely dissolved, which made it possible to continue filming.
In 2016, the skies were completely open thanks to cold weather. In the evening the temperature dropped to +12, and by midnight it dropped to +8 and continued to decline. Not the most pleasant conditions for shooting, despite the cloudless sky.
year 2014. My first meteor caught. Due to the high cloud cover, we had to literally shoot gaps in the clouds, constantly changing the camera position
According to scientists in the Moscow region, that night they noted 27 meteors in an hour and a half. During this time we counted 22. Well, not bad at all. Especially considering the spectacular meteors we've seen this year.
A little cloudiness, however, can make the photo more interesting.
A few words about how to photograph meteors.
So we know time the peak of starfall, which is already quite a lot.
The second significant aspect is terrain. Need to find open place away from artificial light sources. The most common sources of frame illumination are the city, and also street lights highway. Even if it seems to you that the sky is completely dark, the flare will be visible in the frames when photographing with a high shutter speed (namely, it is used when shooting at night). It is worth noting that the frame will be more interesting if foreground there will be some object: a tree, a building...
Equipment. You will need the following equipment:
- camera(or better yet, several) with the ability to set all exposure parameters (shutter speed, aperture, photosensitivity). Ideally, a full-frame camera, since it will provide 1.5 times greater frame coverage than a crop camera: the larger area of the sky you can cover, the greater the likelihood that a meteor will fall into the frame;
Two meteors with very long tails at once, neither of which entered the frame completely
- wide-angle fast lens(if the camera allows you to change lenses);
- tripod. A tripod is necessary for shooting at long shutter speeds. When shooting with a tripod, another factor appears - wind.
- cable. Using a cable will allow you to avoid being directly near the camera. It will also help avoid shaking at long shutter speeds. However, instead of a cable, you can use the delayed shooting mode (timer).
- mobile phone. He will serve flashlight. You can also download it compass, to make it easier to find the constellation Perseus and determine the shooting direction.
IN we used the cable place remote control for time-lapse shooting, which made it possible not to approach the camera placed on a tripod at all. The programmed remote took one picture after another throughout the shooting period.
Also don't forget about warm clothes. You will need to be out in the open all night, so dress according to the weather.
It's funny that all the Perseids caught this year were photographed in Ursa Major, quite far from the constellation Perseus
A few words about exposure parameters.
- The most important thing is that you have to use long exposure. Moreover, the longer the shutter speed, the greater the likelihood that a meteor will fall into the frame. Despite the ability to program any shutter speed using the time-lapse remote control, we used the maximum 30 seconds allowed by the camera. The obvious disadvantage of long exposures is the long processing and recording of the frame - this will additionally halve the chances of catching a meteor.
- Should open as much as possible aperture. This will allow decreasephotosensitivity and by this improve image quality, reducing noise levels.
This basic principles. More precise parameters should be pick up on the spot, based on specific shooting conditions.
That's probably all.
A bit of luck. This shot was taken to photograph the landscape with the Big Dipper...
In general, the process of shooting meteors resembles fishing: a place is selected, it is known approximately at what time the fish bites best. A “fishing rod” is placed on a tripod, a “line” cable is in your hand. Good company for conversations under starry sky, drinks and snacks...And then a discussion about who caught more meteors.
...and in the next frame I caught a meteor. In the landscape. Against the backdrop of a recognizable constellation
But mainly, the Perseids are an opportunity to spend time outside the city, perhaps last warm nights year, enjoying the impressive natural phenomenon. Well, make a wish. What if it comes true?,..
Burning in dense atmosphere Earth, small particles of cosmic meteoroids create a trail of light behind them, striking with its fabulousness all observers from Earth, the portal notedtherussiantimes.com. In astronomy, this phenomenon is usually called meteors, but popularly such a spectacle is most often called a starfall because of the visual deception that makes one believe that somewhere in the sky a star breaks down and falls. According to tradition, the most active periods of starfall are the second half and end of summer.2017 was no exception in this regard, and according to publicly available information from astronomical centers, which throughout the year provide current news regarding the situation in space, in August 2017, throughout the Northern Hemisphere and in Russia in particular, it will be possible to observe the most active and incredibly beautiful starfall. According to scientists, for the period of mid-August, or more precisely, on the night of August 12-13, 2017, it will be possible to observe a whole cluster of burning meteors that are already heading towards the Earth to fulfill the wishes of those who made wishes.
Starfall in August 2017: meteor organization forecast
From August 12 to 13, we will experience the most beautiful starfall of the year. This night marks the maximum activity of the Perseid meteor shower. According to IMO (International Meteor Organization) forecasts, up to 100 meteors are expected per hour.
To see it you need to look towards the constellation Perseus. It can only be observed in the northern hemisphere. The activity of the stream will end on August 24, reports the Moscow Planetarium.
Such phenomena at the end of summer, as mentioned earlier, are an extremely common situation for Russia, since during this period the planet passes a specific area in space, in which small particles have accumulated, burning in our atmosphere. However, the fact that this is an annual event does not diminish its beauty in any way, because such a simple physical phenomenon, like the combustion of something from air friction, ultimately creates a fabulous and enchanting spectacle that is perfect for couples in love, as an unusual way of leisure.
Starfall in August 2017: Perseid starfall
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the oldest meteor showers, readweb.org reports. Mentions of it can be found as early as 36 AD. Around the eighth century, the Perseids received the name "tears of St. Lawrence." And all because in Europe the St. Lawrence Festival occurs during the most active period of this meteor shower. In order to see a starfall, it is enough to find a place where there will be good review sky and it is advisable to stay away from all light sources at this time.
August is the time for starfalls. This month, the stars shine brighter than usual in the night sky, and meteors that have not been visible all year become visible. In the coming weeks, residents of all Russian cities will see several amazing astronomical phenomena at once - two bright shooting stars and a lunar eclipse.
Capricornids
When: early August
Throughout the last month of summer and another half of September, you will be able to see a unique meteor shower in the night sky – the Capricornids. It will be visible near the constellation Capricorn until September 15, but its peak activity occurs in early August, so observations are best made in the first week of the month. 
Capricornids can be found near the constellation Capricorn
Although the Capricornids were discovered by the Hungarian astronomer de Concolli back in 1871, this meteor shower is little studied. Researchers believe that at the peak of starfall activity, only 5-6 meteors can be seen per hour, but all of them are very bright and noticeable.
We owe many modern conveniences to space. The meteor shower claims to be one of the most unusual: astronomers have proven that it consists of three equal meteor showers stretched in different directions: that is why the Capricornids can be observed from anywhere on Earth.
In order to see the starfall, you do not need special equipment: it is so bright that it is visible from dark to dawn with the naked eye. Finding the source of a meteor shower in the sky, the constellation Capricorn, is quite difficult, since there is not a single bright star in it. First you need to discover the constellation Aquila: in August it is one of the brightest in the sky, and its main star, Altair, forms a Summer-Autumn triangle with Vega and Deneb. Under the Eagle is Capricorn - it looks like a big smile. This is where you can see the Capricornids. You can watch the meteor shower without leaving your home: although Capricorn himself is completely inconspicuous, the meteor shower will be bright and spectacular.
Moon eclipse
At 21.20 on August 7, Moscow time, residents of almost all cities of Russia, except for the Far Eastern Territory, will be able to observe a beautiful and rare phenomenon - a partial lunar eclipse. It received this name because the Moon enters the Earth's shadow not completely, but only partially. In this case, the part of the Moon on which the Earth's shadow falls will look dark, and the rest will be in partial shade and illuminated by the sun's rays.
Residents of almost all Russian cities will see a partial lunar eclipse.
“This will be an unusually beautiful phenomenon,” notes astronomer Anatoly Ryabtsev. – Interesting fact: at the same time, being on the Moon, you can see a partial eclipse of the Sun by the Earth.”
The lunar eclipse will last about 1 hour 55 minutes, and everyone will have time to admire the spectacle from the windows of their homes and even take photographs. Experts advise: It's best to look at this astronomical phenomenon through a telescope, but even if you do not have special equipment, this event will forever remain in your memory.
Perseids
The Perseids are one of the brightest and most intense starfalls: at the peak of its activity, up to 60 flaming meteors can be seen in the sky in one hour - 1 meteor every minute! 
The Perseids are one of the brightest meteor showers.
The starfall will last 10 days, from August 10 to 20, but greatest number meteors will be visible from August 12 to 14. You can see them with the naked eye: often falling stars merge into entire fireballs and lines, which makes the meteor shower surprisingly beautiful and unusual. The Perseids deservedly take first place among all meteor showers in terms of the number of shooting stars and fireballs - giant meteors that shine brighter than Venus.
The Perseids owe their beauty to the comet Swift-Tuttle, through whose tail the Earth passes every year. The smallest particles of the comet's tail, consisting of ice, dust and various cosmic rocks, burn up in the atmosphere and fall to Earth as a shower of stars. The comet itself approaches the Earth only once every 135 years, and its next appearance is expected only in 2127, but even the burning trail celestial body looks very impressive: the starfall will be appreciated by all astronomy lovers.
You can see a fascinating phenomenon in the sky near the constellation Perseus. Everyone can find it. To do this, you need to draw an imaginary line from the extreme star of the “bucket handle” of the Big Dipper through the North Star. A little higher you will see Cassiopeia - a constellation in the form capital letters"W". Directly below this constellation is Perseus, in whose area meteors will fall.
STAR SHOWERS IN 2017
7: Partial lunar eclipse.
The Moon will pass through the Earth's penumbral region, and a small part of it will pass through the total shadow region.
12–13: Meteor shower.
The famous Perseid meteor shower with a frequency of up to 60 meteors per minute.
21: Total solar eclipse.
The Moon will completely eclipse the Sun, making its corona (the outer layers of the atmosphere) visible.
September.
Occurs at 20:02 UTC, when the Sun will shine directly on the equator and throughout the world day and night will be approximately the same length. This will be the first day of autumn (autumn equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the Southern Hemisphere.
October.
7: Meteor shower.
The Draconid meteor shower differs from others in its low frequency (only about 10 meteors per hour) and in that it is best observed in the early evening rather than early in the morning.
19: Uranus at opposition.
Although this planet will be as close as possible to Earth, it will only be visible as a tiny bluish-green dot - we are too far away from each other. Unless you have access to a powerful astronomical telescope.
21–22: Meteor shower.
The Orionid meteor shower allows you to observe about 20 meteors per hour.
November.
4–5: Meteor Shower.
The Taurids meteor shower has a frequency of only 5-10 meteors per hour, but is unusual in that it consists of two branches.
13: Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.
These two bright planets will be extremely close - before dawn they can be observed in the east at a distance of only 0.3 degrees from each other.
17–18: Meteor shower.
The Leonids meteor shower, at its peak, produces about 15 meteors per hour.
December.
3: Full moon, super moon.
The Moon will be on the far side of the Earth, fully illuminated by the Sun. This will be the only supermoon in 2017 where the Moon will be very close to Earth.
13–14: Meteor shower.
The Geminids meteor shower is truly the king of them all meteor showers. It will be possible to observe up to 120 colorful meteors per hour!
Occurs at 16:28 UTC when the Earth's South Pole tilts toward the Sun. This will be the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere.
21–22: Meteor shower.
The Ursid meteor shower has a frequency of 5 to 10 meteors per hour.
On August 21, 2017, there will be a total eclipse of the Sun, which is called the Great American Eclipse, since the visibility strip of the total phase of the eclipse will pass through all of North America, only partial phases of the eclipse will be visible on Chukotka Peninsula. It will be preceded by a partial eclipse of the Moon, which can be observed throughout Russia on the evening of August 7 from 20:22 Moscow time to 22:30 Moscow time. The moon will plunge into the earth's shadow by a quarter of its disk. From August 12 to 13, we will see the most beautiful starfall of the year! This night marks the peak activity of the Perseid meteor shower! According to IMO (International Meteor Organization) forecasts, up to 100 meteors are expected per hour!
I. Starry sky of August 2017
II. Space weather
III. Visibility of the Moon and planets in August 2017.
IV. Observing noctilucent clouds
V. Observations of the Moon and planets in August 2017
VI. What can you see in August 2017? through a telescope
Selected events of August 2017 in astronomy and cosmonautics
August 1st and all month– high probability of the appearance of noctilucent clouds in the twilight sky of mid-latitudes
August 2 – Moon at apogee - distance from Earth 405024 km (20:56)
August 5 – Mars at its greatest distance from Earth - 397636800 km (2.658 AU); gloss: 1.7 m; visible diameter: 3.52"
August 5 - 87 years ago, 08/05/1930, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was born - the first person to set foot on the surface of the Moon
On August 6, 56 years ago, Soviet cosmonaut German Titov made the second flight into space in history. On August 6, 1961, at nine o'clock in the morning Moscow time, German Titov ascended into low-Earth orbit on the Vostok-2 spacecraft and spent 25 hours and 18 minutes there, circling the Earth 17 times. On August 7, 1961, the astronaut returned to Earth
August 6 - 836 years ago (1181) a supernova exploded in Cassiopeia. It was widely observed in China and Japan and was visible for 6 months
August 7 – Full Moon (21:13).
August 7 – partial eclipse of the Moon, visible in Russia, max. phase = 0.246 at 21:13. Better conditions: Ural, Siberia, European part Russia
August 8 – 69 years ago, the second female cosmonaut in the world, Soviet cosmonaut and public figure Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya was born
August 9 – 41 years ago (08/09/1976) the Luna 24 spacecraft was launched to study the Moon, collect and deliver lunar soil to Earth. She made a soft landing and took lunar soil from the Sea of Crisis. On August 22, 1976, the Luna 24 return vehicle delivered lunar soil to Earth. For the first time, convincing evidence of the presence of water on the Moon has been obtained. Much later, in the 1990s, the Americans were able to obtain similar results in the Clementine (1994) and LunarProspector (1998) projects.
August 11-12– 55 years ago, on August 11, 1962, the orbital spacecraft was launched spaceship“Vostok-3” with cosmonaut A. G. Nikolaev, and on August 12 – “Vostok-4” with cosmonaut P. R. Popovich. For the first time in the world, a group flight of spacecraft was carried out, lasting three days. On August 15, 1962, the astronauts returned to Earth.
August 12 - 150 years ago, 08/12/1867, Soviet astronomer Sergei Konstantinovich Kostinsky, one of the founders of astrophotography in Russia, was born. For almost three decades, the scientist worked at the Pulkovo Observatory, and later was a professor at Petrograd University. Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Basic scientific works dedicated to photographic astrometry.
12 to 13 August– maximum activity of the Perseid meteor shower, according to IMO forecasts up to 100-150 meteors per hour
August 15 - 66 years ago (1951) dogs Mishka and Chizhik flew into space
August 15 – Moon in last quarter phase (04:17)
August 16 – occultation of Aldebaran by the Moon, visible in the daytime sky of southwestern Russia (10:00)
August 18 – 140 years ago, 08/18/1877, Asaph Hall discovered the Martian satellite Phobos
August 18 – Moon at perigee - distance from Earth 366127 km (16:16)
August 19 – 178 years ago, August 19, 1839, the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory at the Academy of Sciences was opened. Since 1990, the Pulkovo Observatory has been part of the UNESCO-protected site “Historical Center of St. Petersburg and Associated Monument Complexes”, and is included in the State Code of Particularly Valuable Objects cultural heritage peoples Russian Federation, according to Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 275 of April 2, 1997.
August 19 – 57 years ago, on August 19, 1960, the Soviet spaceship Vostok with the dogs Belka and Strelka on board made a daily flight with a return to Earth. In addition to the dogs, there were two white rats and several mice on board.
August 20 - 40 years ago On August 20, 1957, Voyager 2 was launched, 16 days later, on September 5, 1977, Voyager 1 launched
August 21 - 60 years ago On August 21, 1957, the first Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile R-7 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan)
August 21 – total solar eclipse, max. phase 1.031 at 21:26 Moscow time; the visibility strip of the total phase will pass through the entire North America, partial phases of the eclipse will be visible on the Chukotka Peninsula
August 24 – 11 years ago Pluto was “excluded” from the class of major planets
August 24 – end of activity of the Perseid meteor shower
August 25 – Saturn’s station, the planet moves from retrograde to forward motion (15:00)
August 26 – Mercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun, at 4.2° from the center of the solar disk, distance from the Earth – 0.625 AU.
August 26 – 36 years ago Voyager 2 flew near Saturn
August 26 - 277 years ago, Joseph-Michel Montgolfier was born, French inventor, creator of the hot air balloon.
August 28 – 228 years ago, August 28, 1789, English astronomer William Herschel discovered Saturn’s sixth satellite, which was subsequently assigned the number II (in order of distance from the planet) and the name Enceladus
August 29 – Moon in first quarter phase (08:14)
August 30 – Moon at apogee - distance from Earth 404305 km (14:26)
August 30 – The Moon passes 3° north of Saturn (18:00)
August 30 – 146th anniversary of the birth of Ernest Rutherford
August 30 - 25 years ago, August 30, 1992, the first Kuiper Belt object was discovered
August 31 - 38 years ago, 08/31/1979, the first reliably known fall of Comet Howard-Koeman-Michels on the Sun occurred
August starry sky
In the zenith region are the constellation Cepheus, to the east of it is Cassiopeia, below is Perseus.
In the northeast, the beautiful Cassiopeia, Perseus and Charioteer are clearly visible, and Taurus is on the horizon.
The southern sky is dominated by the Summer Triangle, formed by bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair are the main lights of the constellations Lyra, Cygnus and Eagle, and near the horizon - Ophiuchus. In the same part of the sky, small but very interesting constellations of the Arrow, Chanterelle and Dolphin are visible. The southern constellations of Sagittarius and Capricorn are located near the horizon.
In the southeastern region of the sky at high altitude are Andromeda and Pegasus, and near the horizon are Pisces and Whale.
To the west of the zenith the Dragon, Hercules and Ophiuchus are visible. The Milky Way stretches from south to northeast, passing near the zenith. The early morning sky is especially beautiful when they begin to rise bright stars Taurus, Orion and Gemini.
The starry sky of August will be decorated with the traditional August Perseid starfall, which takes place from July 23 to August 20, and the peak of the shower is on August 12-13. But the starfall will be hampered by the waning Moon, which will create a fair amount of light. In 2017, according to IMO (International Meteor Organization) forecasts, up to 100 meteors per hour are expected!
Observing noctilucent clouds
In summer the stars don't twinkle brightly,
The day is long - cannot be expressed in poetry!
But twilight attracts attention,
After all, the sky is covered in silvery clouds!
August continues to be an excellent opportunity for spotting and observing noctilucent clouds. They can appear throughout the summer.
Noctilucent clouds from the ISS orbit.
Roscosmos, photo of Russian pilot-cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, during the 15th expedition to the International Space Station.
Sun
The Sun moves through the constellation Cancer until August 10, and then moves into the constellation Leo and remains there until the end of the month. The declination of the daylight, compared to the first two summer months, decreases faster and faster every day. As a result, the length of the day also decreases rapidly: from 15 hours 59 minutes at the beginning of the month to 13 hours 52 minutes by the end of the described period (more than two hours). These data are valid for the latitude of Moscow, where the midday altitude of the Sun will decrease from 52 to 42 degrees over the month.
On August 21, 2017, the Sun and Moon will stage a unique astronomical spectacle - a total eclipse of the Sun! It is called the Great American, since the visibility strip of the total phase of the eclipse will pass through all of North America; only partial phases of the eclipse will be visible on the Chukotka Peninsula. The duration of the maximum phase will be 2 minutes 40 seconds.
Observations of sunspots and other formations on the surface of the daylight can be carried out using almost any telescope or binoculars, and even with the naked eye (if the spots are large enough). But we must remember that a visual study of the Sun through a telescope or other optical instruments must be carried out (!!!) using a solar filter (recommendations for observing the Sun are available in the Nebosvod magazine http://astronet.ru.
Space weather
Forecast magnetic storms as of August 2017
Photo: http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru
Moon
On the evening of August 7, from 20:22 Moscow time to 22:20 Moscow time, the Moon will plunge into the earth's shadow by a quarter of its disk, and a partial eclipse of the Moon will occur.
Visibility of the Moon in August 2017:
1 - 2 – in the evening
3- 15 – night
16 - 17 – after midnight
18 - 19 – in the morning
24 - 31 – in the evening
Visibility of planets in August 2017:
In the evening:
–Jupiter in the constellation Virgo;
–Saturn in the constellation Ophiuchus;
At night:
– Neptune in the constellation Aquarius;
–Uranus in the constellation Pisces;
In the morning:
– Venus (!) until August 24 in the constellation Gemini, then in the constellation Cancer;
Mercury and Mars are not visible.
Observations of the Moon and planets in August 2017
August 2 – Moon at apogee - distance from Earth 405024 km (20:56)
August 2 – The Moon passes 10° north of Antares
August 3 – The Moon passes 3° north of Saturn (11:00)
August 3 – station of Uranus - the planet moves from forward motion to retrograde motion (15:00)
August 5 – Mars at its greatest distance from Earth - 397636800 km (2.658 AU); gloss: 1.7 m; visible diameter: 3.52
August 7 – Full Moon (21:13).
August 7 – partial eclipse of the Moon, visible in Russia; Max. phase 0.246 at 21:13
August 10 – occultation of Neptune by the Moon, invisible in Russia (02:00)
August 12 – Mercury moves from direct to retrograde (09:00)
August 13 – The Moon passes 4° south of Uranus (11:00)
August 15 – Moon in last quarter phase (04:17)
August 16 – lunar occultation of Aldebaran, visible in the daytime sky in southwest Russia (10:00)
August 18 – Moon at perigee - distance from Earth 366127 km (16:16)
August 19 – The Moon passes 2° south of Venus (07:00)
August 19 – The Moon passes 9° south of Pollux (10:00)
August 20 – Venus passes 7° south of Pollux (19:00)
August 21 – New Moon (21:32)
August 21 – total solar eclipse, max. phase = 1.031 (21:26) The visibility band of the total phase of the eclipse will pass through all of North America, partial phases of the eclipse will be visible on the Chukotka Peninsula
August 24 – end of activity of the Perseid meteor shower
August 25 – Saturn’s station – the planet moves from retrograde to forward motion (15:00)
August 25 – The Moon passes 3° north of Jupiter (19:00)
August 26 – The Moon passes 7° north of Spica (01:00)
August 26 – Mercury is in inferior conjunction with the Sun, 4.2° from the center of the solar disk, distance from the Earth – 0.625 AU.
August 28 – end of evening visibility of Jupiter
August 29 – Moon in first quarter phase (08:14)
August 29 – Moon at apogee - distance from Earth 404305 km (14:26)
August 30 – The Moon passes 3° north of Saturn (18:00)
What can you see in August through a telescope?
Owners of the telescope will be able to observe in the sky:
Double stars: Perseus, Cassiopeia, Capricorn, Cygnus, and Lyra, Ursa Major,
variable stars: Cepheus, Perseus, Lyrae, Aquila;
Scattered star clusters: M24 in the constellation Sagittarius, M11 in the constellation Scutum, M39 in the constellation Cygnus, and Perseus;
Globular star clusters: M15 in the constellation Pegasus, M13 in the constellation Hercules;
Nebulae: M27 in the constellation Chanterelle, M57 in the constellation Lyra; M8 and M17 in the constellation Sagittarius;
galaxies: M81 and M82 in the constellation Ursa Major.
Solar corona during an eclipse
March 9, 2016 visible from Earth and from Space
Credit: J. Wielinga (Angola, Paris Institute of Astrophysics), LASCO Wide Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph, Laboratory of Marine Research, SOHO Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, ESA, NASA; Processing: R. Wittich;
Copyright: S. Kushmi (Paris Institute of Astrophysics, National Center for Scientific Research)
Translation: Volnova A.A. http://www.astronet.ru
Sometimes a solar eclipse is good time to look at the Sun. By taking advantage of the unusual alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, scientists were able to capture this photo of the total solar eclipse that occurred on March 9, 2016, from both Earth and space. The interior of the eclipse picture was taken on Earth, and it looks like the pupil of an eye, created relative to dark moon on the background bright sun. Around the solar disk covered by the Moon, a sparse corona is visible, shown in white, which can be observed from Earth without special equipment only during an eclipse. It's usually difficult to track the corona at great distances from the sun's disk, but this montage combines the optical image with false-colored observations of NASA and ESA's COXO Solar and Heliospheric Observatory orbiting the sun.
Such observations make it possible to study the constantly changing picture of magnetic activity at small and large distances from the Sun. After all, it is this activity that creates auroras on Earth.
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When preparing the page, material from the School Astronomical Calendar for 2016-2017 was used academic year, Great encyclopedia astronomy V.G. Surdina and site materials:
http://www.astronet.ru;
http://edu.zelenogorsk.ru
August promises to be rich in astronomical events, reported on the website of the Moscow Planetarium.
August starry sky
The southern part of the sky is dominated by the Summer Triangle, formed by the bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair - the main lights of the constellations Lyra, Cygnus and Eagle, and near the horizon - Ophiuchus. In the same part of the sky, small but very interesting constellations of the Arrow, Chanterelle and Dolphin are visible. The southern constellations of Sagittarius and Capricorn are located near the horizon. In the southeastern region of the sky at high altitude are Andromeda and Pegasus, and near the horizon are Pisces and Whale. To the west of the zenith are the Dragon, Hercules and Ophiuchus. The Milky Way stretches from south to northeast, passing near the zenith.
In the zenith region are the constellation Cepheus, to the east of it is Cassiopeia, below is Perseus.
In the northeast are the beautiful Cassiopeia, Perseus and Charioteer, and near the horizon is Taurus.
Perseid Starfall
The starry sky of August will be decorated with the traditional August Perseid starfall, which takes place from July 23 to August 20, and the peak of the shower is on August 12-13. In 2018, the International Meteor Organization predicts up to 100 meteors per hour.
The Perseid shower is a meteor shower observed annually in August from the constellation Perseus. Falling particles the size of a grain of sand burn up in the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of approximately 80-100 km. Moreover, the speed with which they collide with the Earth’s atmosphere can vary from 13 to 73 km/s, depending on the angle of incidence. The Perseid shower is characterized by a fall speed of about 50-60 km/s. Therefore, small particles, possessing colossal energy, flare up.
Star rain does not pose a danger either to people or to spacecraft. A meteor falling to Earth is a fairly rare occurrence. Only 6-7 meteorites are known to have been found throughout history on the territory of Belarus. And all of them had nothing to do with the Perseid starfall.
To successfully observe a starfall, a cloudless sky and the absence of lunar illumination are desirable.
noctilucent clouds
August continues to be an excellent opportunity for spotting and observing noctilucent clouds. They can appear throughout the summer. File photo File photo Noctilucent clouds (also known as mesospheric clouds or nocturnal luminous clouds) are a relatively rare atmospheric phenomenon. They are observed during the summer months at latitudes between 43 and 65 degrees north and south latitude. It was possible to prove that similar phenomena occur on other planets, in particular, on Mars.
Partial eclipse of the Sun
The Sun moves through the constellation Cancer until August 10, and then moves into the constellation Leo and remains there until the end of the month. The declination of the daylight, compared to the first two summer months, decreases faster and faster every day. As a result, the length of the day also decreases rapidly. On August 11 there will be a new moon and a partial eclipse of the Sun. This eclipse will be visible from Northern and of Eastern Europe, northern parts North America and some northern and western places in Asia, making it the most observed solar eclipse 2018, weather permitting.
Important events of August
August 5 - 88 years ago, American astronaut Neil Armstrong was born - the first person to set foot on the surface of the Moon.
August 6 - 57 years ago, Soviet cosmonaut German Titov made the second flight into space in history. On August 6, 1961, at nine o'clock in the morning Moscow time, German Titov ascended into low-Earth orbit on the Vostok-2 spacecraft and spent 25 hours and 18 minutes there, circling the Earth 17 times.
August 19 - 58 years ago, the Soviet spaceship Vostok with the dogs Belka and Strelka on board made a 24-hour flight and returned to Earth. In addition to the dogs, there were two white rats and several mice on board.
On August 31, 39 years ago, the first reliably known fall of Comet Howard-Kooman-Michels on the Sun occurred.
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