Stars over Sisters

One of the best meteor showers of the year occurs in August. It is called the Perseid meteor shower because the streaks of light seem to emanate from the constellation of Perseus.

This year, the maximum number of meteors is expected to peak at about 60 per hour early in the morning on August 13. The shower is caused by the earth moving through material left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle. Although a full moon will wash out many of the meteors, some of the brighter ones can still be detected. The radiant will be in the northeastern sky during the evening and nearly overhead in the early morning hours.

Saturn is low in the west during August as the ringed orb begins to slip from view. Jupiter, on the other hand, is on the rise. The solar system's largest planet, with its four easy-to-see Galilean moons, is in the constellation of Aries and clears the eastern horizon at about midnight early in the month; 10 p.m. by month's end. A relatively dim Mars is still an early morning object.

For those interested in lunar phases, this month the moon will start off as a waxing crescent, going into its first quarter on August 6. At this time the right half of the moon's surface will be illuminated by the sun. It will grow into a luminous full moon on August 13, coinciding with the Perseids. The moon will wane into its third quarter on August 21, when only the left half of the moon is lit. Finally, the moon will darken to its new-moon phase on August 29.

August is a great month to see the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is an asterism (a pattern of stars that is not a single constellation) made up of three bright stars: Deneb, which is in the constellation Cygnus; Vega in Lyra; and Altair in Aquila. To find the Triangle, look nearly overhead for the brightest star. That star is Vega. Deneb lies to the east and slightly north, while Altair is the southern-most member of the Triangle.

If you would like to learn more about the objects in the sky, come to the Sisters Astronomy Club's meetings at Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD). They are held on the third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting will be August 16, starting at 7 p.m. The next Stars over Sisters star watch will be Friday, August 26 at SPRD, beginning at 8:30 p.m.