Night Sky

Written by Bob King

No matter when you look up, there are wonderful things to see. This summer and fall, the planets Jupiter and Saturn rule the evening sky and will be sure to get your attention, especially when the moon comes by to brighten up the scene. Mercury puts in two nice appearances – at dusk in June and at dawn in August. If you’ve never seen this forever-in-the-twilight planet, the time is ripe. Venus returns to view at dusk in November and has a pretty pairing with Jupiter just before Thanksgiving.

When the moon is out of the sky from July through September, make a special trip to the countryside to appreciate the incredible summer Milky Way. Bring binoculars. They’ll help you pick out the clusters and nebulae that dot that smoky band. The year’s two best meteor showers – the Perseids and Geminids – will still happen on schedule even if compromised by bright moonlight.

Barring a bright comet discovery the biggest astronomical event of 2019 will be the November transit of Mercury, when the planet passes in front of the sun and looks like a little black dot. As always, keep an eye on the sky – you never know when a bright meteor or aurora may turn up. Happy skywatching!

For the latest astro news, go to Astro Bob (astrobob.areavoices.com)

June 10 – Jupiter at opposition in Ophiuchus. Closest and brightest for the year. Watch for it to rise in twilight in the southeastern sky. It remains visible through October.
June 10 – 20 – A good time to see Mercury. Visible low in the northwestern sky about 40 minutes after sunset.
June 16 – Full Strawberry Moon to the left of Jupiter tonight.
June 19 – Waning moon just below Saturn late tonight.
June 21 – Summer Solstice at 10:54 am. Longest day and shortest night of the year.

July 9 – Saturn at opposition in Sagittarius. Closest and brightest for the year. It rises in twilight in the southeastern sky and remains visible into November.
July 15 – Full Buck Moon shines to the right of Saturn tonight.

August 1-15 – Excellent Mercury viewing opportunity, this time at dawn about 40 minutes to an hour before sunrise low in the northeastern sky.
August 9 – Waxing moon close to Jupiter this evening.
August 12-13 – Peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The bright gibbous moon will spoil the shower some, but brighter meteors will still be visible. The later you’re out the better.
Late August – Orion now visible in the eastern sky at dawn.

September 23 – Autumnal equinox at 2:50 am marks the first day of fall. Day and night are equal in length. Sun rises due east and sets due west.
Late September – The Summer Triangle stars Vega, Deneb, and Altair are now due south and easy to see at nightfall.

October 3 – Crescent moon close to Jupiter at dusk.
October 5 – Half-moon shines to the lower left of Saturn.
October 21 (after midnight) – Peak of the annual Orionid meteor shower. About 15 meteors per hour between 2-6 am. Some interference from the last quarter moon.
October 31 – Jupiter, the crescent moon and Saturn make a straight line at dusk in the southwestern sky.

November 11 – Transit of Mercury, Mercury will cross in front of the sun from sunrise (about 7am Central Time) until 12:04 pm. First time since 2016. Requires a small telescope and a safe solar filter to see.Mercury will appear as a small, perfectly round, black dot.
November 13 through year-end – Venus returns to the evening sky. Look very low in the southwest starting 35 minutes after sunset. It becomes easier to see by next month.
November mid-month – Mars returns to the morning sky, faint and low in the southeast at dawn.
November 21-26 – Venus and Jupiter “dance close” at dusk low in the southwestern sky. Closest on the 24th.
November 24 – Thin crescent moon to the left of Mars at dawn.
November 28 – Venus and a very thin crescent moon close at dusk.

December 9-13 – Venus passes near Saturn.
December 13-14 – Peak of the annual Geminid meteor shower. A bright gibbous moon will hurt the show, but it’s still worth a look. Best times are from 9 pm till dawn.
December 21 – Winter solstice at 10:19 pm marks the first day of winter. Shortest day and longest night.
December 28 – Beautiful conjunction of Venus and a skinny crescent moon in the southwestern sky at dusk.