Astronomy Club of Asheville, NC

August - 2003

"The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of science. He who knows it not and can no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead" (Albert Einstein)

MOON:
New Moon: August 27
Full Moon: August 12

STAR GAZE: (August 29):
Sun: sets at 8:01pm
Moon: (illuminated ~8%) New Moon was a couple of nights before the Gaze. Sets at 9:30pm.
Jupiter & it's moons: Jupiter reaches conjunction this month, so can not observe.

PLANETS:
Mercury: Visible in early August, but very close to the western horizon.

Venus: Superior conjunction with the Sun on the 18th, so not a target this month.

Mars!: Reaches 25" diameter this month, and increases to magnitude -2.9. Closest approach is on August 27th. This is the red planet's closest approach to Earth in at least 2000 years! Unfortunately, since Mars is south of the ecliptic, it will be only about 40 degrees above the southern horizon when it crosses the meridian each night, so Earth's atmosphere will blur the image a bit here at 35.5 degrees north. (To get Mars higher in the sky for a sharper view, I recommend a quick trip to southern Florida. Be sure our rooms are air conditioned!)

Saturn: Rises about 2:30 am by month's end, and about 40 degrees above the horizon at 5:45am.

Jupiter: Conjunction with the Sun on 22nd, so not a good time to view.

Uranus: At opposition on the 24th.

Neptune: At opposition on the 4th.

Asteroids: Pallas (in Cetus) rises about 11:30 and is mag 9.0 in August. You'll need at least binoculars to see it.

HIGHLIGHTS:
August 13: Perseid meteor shower. Will be washed out by the just-past-full moon this year.
Ausust 27: Mars! Closest approach to Earth. See above!

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THE BIG PICTURE: Each chart below covers a very wide area of sky, roughly from eastern horizon to western horizon. Constellations are green stick figures. The dividing line between constellations are dashed blue lines. The purpose is to show the large scale structure of the night sky: why certain types of objects are visible in certain areas of the sky.

1. Above: 6 hr R.A. (passes overhead on winter evenings; climbs above the horizon before dawn on August mornings): OPEN CLUSTERS in the sky north to south (Auriga to Pupis). Open Clusters are generally within the arms of the galaxy and are roughly co-located with the Milky Way. They are plotted as tan circles above. You are looking away from the center of the galaxy. (Note: all types of objects are labeled, not just open clusters.)

2. Above: 12 hr R.A. (passes overhead on spring evenings; sets with the sun in August): GALAXIES in the sky north to south (Ursa Major to Virgo). They are plotted as blue ovals in the chart above. At 9:00pm during mid-June, the Milky Way is rising in the east. Just to the west of the zenith is the North Galactic Pole, in the constellation Coma Berenices. In southwest Coma Berenices happens to be the heart of the Local Supercluster of galaxies. Many of these galaxies are visible in medium-sized telescopes.

3. Above: 18 hr R.A. (passes overhead on summer evenings; such as in August): GLOBULAR CLUSTERS (yellow cross inside a circle) & PLANETARY NEBULAE (blue circle in a cross) in the sky north to south (Cygnus to Sagittarius). The lower-middle of this chart is towards the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Charts created using Megastar
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CLUB STARGAZE:
The July stargaze is Friday, August 29, 2003. You can check the Yahoo group for AstroAsheville (or call Tim Barnwell @ 251-0040 or John Chappell @ 251-1933 x17 (before 5:00) or 667-9268 (after 5:00)) for a go/no-go decision and to verify location.

Blue Ridge Parkway Information Line is 828-298-0398 and go to Road Conditions on the menu.

CLUB MEETING:
The club meeting is the first Thursday of every month, at 6 p.m. at Sim’s Group located at 230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.

Happy Starwatching! Dress Warm!

(Much of the above info derived from Sky & Telescope and Astronomy magazines, Ottewell's Astronomical Calendar, The Night Sky Observer's Guide, Megastar 5.0, Planets202, the ol' Miller Planesphere, and a little (very little) common sense.)