July 20 th to August 16 th General Information July/August: Spanning the constellations from Perseus to Norma, the summer Milky Way rises higher and higher toward zenith as the hours and days pass during this period. With Venus and Jupiter having nearly set as darkness gathers, Saturn and its remarkable rings take center stage. Though there are some grand galaxies to be seen, this period is prime time for viewing star clusters and nebulae. Sunset Range: 8:37 p.m. (July 20 th ) to 8:09 p.m. (August 17 th ) End of Astronomical Twilight (Full Darkness* – Sun 18° below horizon): 10:24 p.m. (July 20 th ) to 9:45 p.m. (August 17 th ) * Usually dark enough for observing about a half hour before this.

Moon Phases – July/August July 24 th – First Quarter Moon July 31 st – Full Moon August 6 th – Last Quarter Moon (Observing at Cahas on 7 th and 8 th ) August 14 th – New Moon (Observing at Cahas on 14 th and 15 th ) Roughly speaking: First Quarter Moon is highest at sunset and sets at midnight Full Moon rises at sunset and is in the sky all night Last Quarter Moon rises at midnight and is highest at dawn New Moon sets with the sun and is absent from the sky all night

Celestial Events July 20 th to August 16 th July 21 st : Moon at apogee; distance Earth radii. July 23 rd : Venus stationary in right ascension and begins retrograde (westward) motion. June 26 th : The Equation of Time reaches a “shallow minimum” of –6.54 minutes (clocks complete 24 hours this much faster than the Sun completes a Meridian to Meridian cycle). August 2 nd : Moon at perigee; distance Earth radii (10.5% closer than July 21 st apogee). August 12 th : Escorted by the Rosetta craft and carrying the Philae lander, Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko reaches perihelion, AU from the Sun and 1.77 AU from Earth. It’ll be in Gemini, 22° high in the SE an hour before sunrise, at 11 th to 14 th magnitude. (Good luck!) August 12 th -13 th : Perseid Meteor Shower. It’s nearly New Moon, making this a favorable year as far as dark sky conditions.

Orbits and planet sizes not to scale Mean Distance from Sun (AUs) Mercury: 0.39Jupiter: 5.20 Venus: 0.72Saturn: 9.52 Earth: 1.00Uranus: Mars: 1.52Neptune: Pluto: Planets’ Positions June 15 th (last meeting date) July 20 th

June 15 th, 9:45 PM Last month’s meeting date. Meridian July 20 th, 9:45 PM Meridian

July 20 th, 9:45 p.m. Pluto The Blinking Planetary NGC 6826 / C15 M22 M13 Alcor Mizar “La Superba” (Y CVn)

Pluto The “Teaspoon” The “Teapot” Finding Pluto Takes Some Doing! Chart: Sky & Telescope At 14 th magnitude, Pluto will test the light gathering limits of an 8” reflector, a 5” refractor or a 6” SCT. Being sure you’ve seen Pluto requires observing what moved for at least 2 nights. Pluto is spending all of 2015 in the “Teaspoon” of Sagittarius. Sagittarius

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