{"id":2538,"date":"2019-08-02T01:17:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T01:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/?p=2538"},"modified":"2019-08-02T01:17:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-02T01:17:00","slug":"griffith-observatory-sky-report-through-august-8-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/2019\/08\/02\/griffith-observatory-sky-report-through-august-8-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Griffith Observatory Sky Report through August 8, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Click<\/strong><\/a>LISTEN to this week\u2019s Sky Report<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Sky_Report_8-1-2019.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through August 8th, 2019. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the skies of southern California.<\/p>\n

The moon returns to view in the evening sky as a slender crescent on the 1st. On that evening, it can be spotted about 30 minutes after sunset when it is positioned very low above the western horizon. Every following night through the 8th, it will appear brighter and higher in the sky. The moon reaches first quarter phase on the 7th, and it is waxing gibbous on the next night. Its setting time advances from 8:46 p.m. on the 1st to 12:33 a.m. on the 8th.<\/p>\n

The bright planets Jupiter and Saturn are at prime time for observing as the sky darkens. Jupiter, in the constellation Ophiuchus the Snake Bearer, is in the southern sky during evening twilight, while Saturn, in Sagittarius the Archer, is in the southeast sky. <\/p>\n

Jupiter is the currently the brightest object in the early evening sky, after the moon. Through binoculars, four tiny spots of light can be seen close to the brilliant planet in positions that change from one night to the next. These are the brightest of Jupiter\u2019s 79 known moons, and the rapid orbital motion of the moons around the giant planet causes the shifting positions. Galileo reported the four moons in 1609 when he first saw them through a telescope, and they have since been known as the Galilean satellites.<\/p>\n

Telescopes capable of a magnification of 50 or greater can show that Jupiter\u2019s clouds are arranged by the planet\u2019s rapid rotation into dark belts and bright zones that lie parallel to the planet\u2019s equator. The famous oval storm called the Great Red Spot can be seen when it faces southern California at 9:00 p.m. on August 1st, 3rd, and 6th. <\/p>\n

Saturn appears similar to a bright star, with a gold tint. A telescope can show Saturn\u2019s beautiful system of rings, and several of its many moons.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free 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 10 between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. <\/p>\n

Follow The Sky Report, All Space Considered, and Griffith Observatory on Twitter for updates on astronomy and space-related events.<\/p>\n

From Griffith Observatory, I\u2019m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LISTEN to this week\u2019s Sky Report http:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Sky_Report_8-1-2019.mp3 This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through August 8th, 2019. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the skies of southern California. The moon returns to view in the evening sky as a slender crescent … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-skyreport"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2538"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2540,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2538\/revisions\/2540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}