LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is a special two-week edition of the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period ending Wednesday, August 21, 2013. Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:
A popular summertime astronomical event, the Perseid meteor shower, will reach its peak during the daytime hours of August 12 (on the west coast) so the nights and early mornings of August 11/12 and 12/13 should offer southern California the best views of the meteors. From a dark wilderness location in the hour before dawn, you should expect to see meteors in increasing numbers, from 20 to 80 per hour between the 7th and the 11th. Because of light pollution, observers in urban or suburban settings will see only a small fraction of this number of meteors. The meteors are visible from about 11 p.m. until dawn (4:40 a.m.). This is after the moon sets on the nights of the maximum this year, so moonlight will not be present to drown out meteors. Because of its bright sky, Griffith Park is not a good meteor observing spot, and will be closed as usual after 10:00 p.m. on the nights of the meteor shower. Good viewing areas include campgrounds of the San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, Cleveland National Forest, Los Padres National Forest, the Mojave Desert, and Anza Borrego Desert that are far from cities or towns, and that have unobscured views of the sky. Check a detailed weather forecast to avoid clouds or mountain thunderstorms that can be common in some areas this time of year.
To watch meteors, remember that no special equipment is needed. You will need to be dark adapted, which means not looking at any lights (including cell phone displays) for at least 15 minutes before watching. You will want to be comfortable, and a reclining chair, deck chair, or chaise lounge combined with a sleeping bag and warm clothing is recommended. You will want to look up toward the northeast. To learn how to give your observations scientific value, start with the Sky and Telescope Webpage, “The Basics of Meteor Observation:” http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/meteors/3304061.html
The waxing moon becomes visible in the evening sky during twilight on Thursday the 8th. It remains in crescent phase until the 14th, when it reaches first quarter phase. On following nights, it appears in gibbous phase before the full moon on the 28th.
The planet Venus is the brilliant white light in the west during twilight. The moon appears to the lower left of Venus on Friday the 9th.
The ringed planet, Saturn, is best seen just before darkness falls. It is the brightest object in the southwest sky, and sets in the west-southwest well before midnight. The moon poses below Saturn on Saturday the 12th.
After dawn starts, Jupiter is the brilliant object visible low in the eastern sky, in the constellation Gemini, the twins. Gemini’s bright stars, Castor and Pollux, are to Jupiter’s lower left, and the orange planet Mars shines between theses stars and Jupiter.
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 through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes Tuesday-Sunday before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for our schedule. The next public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, August 17.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.