1. Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
What’s Up E W
Highlighting the Near and Deep Sky
August , 2017 S

2. General Information August 2017
Among this month’s celestial happenings:
All else pales in comparison to the “Big One,” August 21st’s grand solar eclipse!
It’s not a great year for our favorite annual summer meteor shower.
Sunset Range: 8:27 p.m. (August 1st) to 7:50 p.m. (August 31st).
End of Astronomical Twilight (Full Darkness* – Sun 18° below horizon): 10:09 p.m. (August 1st) to 9:21 p.m. (August 31st).
* Usually dark enough for observing about a half hour before this.

3. Moon Phases August 2017 Mon., 7th – Full Moon
Mon., 15th – Last Quarter (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities August 12th/13th)
Mon., 21st – New Moon (Fri./Sat. observing opportunities August 18th/19th)
Tues., 29th – First Quarter
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 (“Third”) Quarter Moon rises at midnight and is highest at dawn
New Moon sets at sunset and is absent from the sky all night

4. Celestial Events August 2017
Wed., 2nd – Moon at apogee; distance Earth-radii. (Second apogee for month on Wed., 30th; distance Earth-radii.)
Sat., 12th – Perseid meteors. The waning gibbous Moon rises at 11:19 p.m. EDT, reducing visibility to the brightest meteors.
Fri., 18th – Moon at perigee; distance Earth-radii (10% closer than on the 2nd).
Sat., 19th – Pre-dawn risers get a chance to spot a –8 magnitude thin crescent Moon about 4º below –4 magnitude Venus.
Mon., 21st – Total Solar Eclipse. For the Roanoke area: begins 1:12 p.m. EDT; maximum 2:40 p.m. EDT (Sun 90.3% obscured by the Moon); and ends 4:01 p.m. EDT.
Sat., 26th – Saturn stationary in right ascension; resumes direct (eastward) motion.

5. (~30 min. before full darkness)
August 15th, 9:15 p.m.
(~30 min. before full darkness)
For tonight, July 17th, 10:00 p.m. is about 30 min. before full dark-ness. E W
Neptune
Jupiter
Milky Way
Saturn S

6. What’s Up programs are posted on the RVAS Website!
Find them under “Tips and Topics” or at:
Questions
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