OBSERVING
August 2019
skyandtelescope.com • AUGUST 2019 41DUSK: The thin waxing lunar crescent is in
Virgo the next two evenings. Find it on the 4th when
it’s some 3°° right of Gamma (γ) Virginis (Porrima).
The following evening, the Moon is less than 7°
upper right of Alpha (α) Virginis (Spica).
DUSK: The fi rst-quarter Moon is in Libra,
equidistant from Alpha and Beta (β) Librae — you
may know Alpha as the double star Zubenelgenubi.
DAWN: Mercury arrives at its greatest western
elongation from the Sun. Look for the little world
before sunrise low on the east-northeastern
horizon, where it should be visible until the 26th.
Binoculars will improve the view.
EVENING: The waxing gibbous Moon and
Jupiter are around 2° apart, with Antares not far to
the pair’s lower right. The trio sets in the southwest
after midnight local time, with the red supergiant
leading the way.
EVENING: Enjoy the view of the Moon and
Saturn, a little more than 3° apart, as they shine in
the Teapot of Sagittarius.
LATE NIGHT TO DAWN: The predicted peak
of the Perseids — in the early morning hours of the
13th — coincides with the nearly full Moon, which
will hamper observations. However, the shower is
active from July 17th to August 24th, so it’s worth
casting a glance skyward in search of meteors in
the weeks preceding and following the peak.
DAWN: The waning crescent Moon is in
Taurus, a mere 2° from the red giant Aldebaran
on the morning of the 24th. The next morning, the
Moon is less than ½° from Zeta (ζ) Tauri, and the star
will be occulted for much of western North America.
DAWN: The thin lunar crescent is some 6–7°
from Pollux, in Gemini. It’s above the eastern
horizon about two hours before twilight begins.
DAWN: The sliver of the Moon, in Cancer, is
in or near M44, the Beehive Cluster (depending on
your viewing location).
— DIANA HANNIKAINEN
This image, taken with the European Southern Observato-
ry’s 2.2-meter telescope at La Silla in Chile, shows the open
cluster Messier 11, also known as the Wild Duck Cluster.
The cluster lies some 6,200 light-years away in Scutum, the
Shield. The young, hot, blue cluster stars are surrounded by
redder, older background stars. ESO
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