{"id":2739,"date":"2020-07-09T23:17:34","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T23:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/?p=2739"},"modified":"2020-07-09T23:17:34","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T23:17:34","slug":"griffith-observatory-sky-report-through-july-17-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/2020\/07\/09\/griffith-observatory-sky-report-through-july-17-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Griffith Observatory Sky Report through July 17, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Click<\/strong><\/a>LISTEN to this week\u2019s Sky Report<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sky_Report_07-9-2020.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through July 17th<\/sup>, 2020. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the skies of southern California.<\/p>\n

Comet NEOWISE (C\/2020 F3), has been putting on a good show in the northeast sky at dawn, with a tail that has grown longer and brighter with each passing morning. The comet will be highest at dawn on the 10th <\/sup>and 11th<\/sup> when it rises at 3:46 a.m. At 4:30 a.m., it is well placed for viewing against a dark sky while 5 degrees above the east-northeast horizon.<\/p>\n

Venus and the brilliant star Capella are the brightest objects in the eastern sky, until the moon appears near Venus starting on the 15th<\/sup>. These objects serve as markers for locating the comet. To find the comet, scan the sky just above the horizon that is left of the point directly below Capella.<\/p>\n

Beginning on the the 15th<\/sup>, it will be possible to see the comet above the northwest horizon in the faint constellation Lynx (located below the Big Dipper), for a brief time starting at about 9:30 p.m. Over the following nights, the comet will begin to move high into the western sky at nightfall as it slowly fades on its long journey away from the sun.<\/p>\n

Although the comet can be seen plainly with unaided eyes until dawn starts to hide it at about 5:00 a.m., binoculars are strongly recommended to aid you in examining its golden, dusty tail. The tail of comet NEOWISE also has a lot of structure that can be seen through more powerful telescopes.<\/p>\n

The bright outer planets, Jupiter and Saturn, can\u2019t be missed as they gleam side by side above the southeast horizon at 9:30 p.m. Jupiter, the brighter object and the westernmost of the pair, crosses the meridian in the south at 1:00 a.m., followed by golden Saturn 28 minutes later.<\/p>\n

Saturn\u2019s spectacular rings can be observed through telescopes, and Jupiter\u2019s well-known oval storm, the Great Red Spot, will be on the side of the planet facing telescope-quipped observers in the Pacific time zone at 1:00 a.m. on the 11th<\/sup>, 13th<\/sup>, and 16th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

The orange planet Mars, gleaming brighter than Saturn, moves from the eastern sky, where it is noticeable by 1:00 a.m., to a point high in the southeast by the time dawn starts. Because it is so high in the sky, it is well positioned for viewing through a telescope by 3:00 a.m. The planet\u2019s brilliant south polar cap and dusky markings can be examined.<\/p>\n

The waning gibbous moon is between Saturn and Mars on the 10th<\/sup>, and it passes close to Mars on the 11th<\/sup> and 12th<\/sup>. It is last quarter on the 12th<\/sup> and appears waning crescent before becoming new on the 20th<\/sup>. The moon passes close the brilliant Venus on the 16th<\/sup> and 17th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

Please note that, beginning on July 17, the Sky Report will be posted weekly on Friday.<\/p>\n

Because of measures in place that are intended to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 Corona virus, Griffith Observatory remains closed until further notice. Consequently, all public telescopes are closed, and all public events have been cancelled. Please check the Griffith Observatory homepage<\/a> for current information and continued updates of the situation.<\/p>\n

Follow The Sky Report<\/a>, All Space Considered<\/a>, and Griffith Observatory<\/a>, 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 Anthony.Cook@lacity.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LISTEN to this week\u2019s Sky Report https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Sky_Report_07-9-2020.mp3 This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through July 17th, 2020. Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the skies of southern California. Comet NEOWISE (C\/2020 F3), has been putting on a good show in the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2739","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\/2739","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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2739"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2745,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2739\/revisions\/2745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.griffithmedia.org\/skyreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}