Monday 5th to Sunday 11th August 2024
Let's begin with a bit of a naked eye challenge on the evening of Monday 5th August. If you look towards the west north west just as the Sun is setting, say around 9pm, it should be possible to spot planet Venus close to the horizon. An even harder target to see with be a 1%-lit waxing crescent Moon, located a little to the right of Venus.
Much easier targets to find any evening next week are Saturn, that rises above the east south east horizon from around 11pm, followed by Jupiter and Mars towards the east north east from 2am.
Interestingly, Saturn reaches its highest position in the night sky around 3am on Saturday 10th, when it will be located towards the south.
Astronomers prefer looking at things when they are higher in the sky because the light from them is passing through our atmosphere at a steeper angle, so there is less distortion. Although Saturn's rings of dust are not best-placed for observing at the moment, it would be an optimum time to dig that telescope out and see how many of Saturn's numerous moons you can spot. As a bonus, our own Moon will have already disappeared below the horizon, so it won't be causing any light pollution.
When I was at school, I was always taught that Jupiter had the most moons orbiting around it. There are currently 95 Jovian moons officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union. However in reality, Saturn has the most - 146 of them! Some, like Titan, are the size of small planets; others are described by NASA as being shaped like potatoes or ravioli!
www.starsoversomerset.com
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2024
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