LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the week ending Wednesday, August 8, 2012. Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:
During evening twilight, planet Mars continues to draw closer to planet Saturn and the bright star Spica of Virgo the Maiden. These form a triangle of bright objects low in the southwest sky. Spica is below and to the left of Saturn. Mars is to the lower right of that pair, and will move a little closer to Saturn and Spica, night by night for the next two weeks. Binoculars will help you to see the rusty tint of Mars, the golden hue of Saturn and the blue-white color of Spica. All three set shortly after 10:30 p.m. this week.
Mars will just reach the horizon on Sunday, August 5, when the JPL/NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover named Curiosity will reach the surface of Mars at 10:31 p.m. earth received time. Earth received time means that we are taking into account the nearly 14 minutes that light and radio signals take to reach our planet from Mars. Even though the landing should actually occur at 10:17 p.m., we won’t receive a confirming signal before 10:31 p.m., P.D.T. Griffith Observatory will hold a special event, starting at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater to follow and comment on NASA’s live coverage of the landing. See our web page for details.
The moon starts at full phase on August 1 and afterwards is in waning gibbous phase through August 8. The traditional Algonquin name for the full moon in August is the “Sturgeon Moon”. There will be a second August full moon on the 31st, called a “blue moon”. After August 1, the moon will rise an average of 33 minutes later each successive night. Moonrise happens after twilight ends starting on Sunday, August 5. On Tuesday, August 7, moonrise is at 10:52 p.m.
The second brightest planet, Jupiter, is in Taurus the Bull, close to the orange star Aldebaran. Look for Jupiter in the east-northeast after it rises at about 1:30 a.m. At 2:50 a.m., the brightest planet, Venus, follows and appears below and to the left of Jupiter well into the dawn. A telescope will reveal the crescent phase of Venus, and the four brightest moons of Jupiter.
An Atlas 5 rocket is scheduled to launch a classified reconnaissance satellite and 11 small satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, early on Thursday morning, August 2. Launch is scheduled to occur within a 50-minute period starting at 12:40 a.m., P.D.T. Throughout much of southern California, the rocket should be visible arcing to the south, parallel to the coast, in the western sky. Monitor live coverage of the launch’s progress on this link: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av033/status.html and if the weather is clear, step outside to look for the rocket after confirming that the launch has occurred. Don’t forget binoculars!
While you wait for the landing on Mars, don’t miss a bright passage of the International Space Station over Los Angeles on Sunday night, August 5. The ISS will cross the sky from the southwest and run into earth’s shadow while 41 degrees high in the east-northeast between 9:15 and 9:19 p.m. and will reach 61 degrees above the southeast horizon at 9:18 p.m., P.D.T. For visibility of the Space Station and other satellites at other times and from any location, see www.heavens-above.com.
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night, are available to the public in clear weather six days a week (Tuesday-Sunday) through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for our schedule.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached griffithobserver@gmail.com.