| August is the eight month in the Gregorian calendar and consists of 31 days. The month of August was originally named ‘Sextilis’ meaning the ’sixth month’ in Latin, from the time when the year began on March 1. Augustus Caesar renamed ‘Sextilis’ after himself to ‘August’ and gave it 31 days so he would have as many days as his predecessor’s (Julius Caesar) month, July. It is said that Augustus pick the month after July for his month because that was the month that Cleopatra died. |
The New Moon for August occurs on Monday, August 9th, which makes the weekend of August 7-8 the best weekend for dark sky observation.
The Full Moon for August happens on August 24th and is known as the Full Corn Moon or Full Fruit Moon.
Mercury is visible in the evening for the entire month of August. Mercury begin this month in the constellation Leo (The Lion) and begins to cross the corner of the constellation Sextans (The Sextant) on August 5th. On August 7th, Mercury finishes crossing the corner of Sextans and returns into the constellation Leo. On August 20th Mercury changes direction starting its retrograde motion toward the Sun and by August 31st, returns to the constellation Sextans.
Mercury reaches its optimal viewing position on August 6th, when it reaches it’s Greatest Eastern Elongation. At that time Mercury will be 27°22’01” from the Sun and will set about 1 hour 50 minutes after sunset.
On August 11th the waxing, crescent Moon will pass within 3° of Mercury.
Venus is also observable in the evening for the entire month of August. In the very earliest hours of August Venus crosses from the constellation Leo (The Lion) to the constellation Virgo (The Maiden) where it will remain located for the rest of the month.
Venus reaches its optimal observing position on August 19th, as it reaches it’s Greatest Eastern Elongation and is in position for its best evening distance from the Sun. At this time Venus will be 45°57’32” from the Sun and will set 3 hours after sunset.
Venus is a member of several conjunctions and grouping of other planetary object this month, including:
On August 8th, Venus and Saturn will be less than 2°50’ apart.
On August 12th, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the waxing, crescent Moon will be within 10° of each other.
On August 20th, Venus and Mars will pass within 2° of each other.
| Finally on August 31st, Venus will pass within 1° of the Star Spica. |  |
Mars is observable during the evening Hours of August in the constellation Virgo (The Maiden). Mars sets around 10:20 pm (PDT) at the start of August, and by the end of the month, sets around 9:10 pm (PDT).
On August 12th, Venus, Saturn, Mars and the waxing, crescent Moon will be within 10° of each other.
On August 20th, Venus and Mars will pass within 2° of each other.
Jupiter is located in the constellation Pisces (The Fish), moving in retrograde, this month and can be observed from the late evening to morning hours of August. Jupiter rises around 10:25 pm (PDT) at the start of the month, and by the end of August is rising as early as 8:30 pm (PDT).
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On August 26th, the waning, gibbous Moon passes with 5°50’ of Jupiter. Jupiter is a great place to start if your are hunting Uranus this month. They are in proximity to each other for the entire month. Look for Jupiter at the opposite side of the sky from Saturn; as Jupiter rises in the East, Saturn is setting in the West. |
Located in the constellation Virgo (The Maiden) until December 2012, Saturn is observable during the evening hours of August. Saturn sets around 10:20 pm (PDT) at the start of August , and by the end of the month, sets around 8:30 pm (PDT). Look for Saturn at the opposite side of the sky from Jupiter; as Jupiter rises in the East, Saturn is setting in the West.
Uranus is located in the constellation Pisces (The Fish) until May 2012.
At the beginning of the month, Uranus rises around 10:15 pm (PDT), and by the end of August, it rises around 8:15 pm (PDT).
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To find Uranus, you might start by looking for Jupiter and the two planets are in proximity to each other for the entire month. At the end of the month Jupiter and Uranus will be a mere 1°15’ from each other and will end up in conjunction next month on September 21st. On August 26th, the waning, gibbous Moon passes within 5°15’ of Uranus. |
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Neptune is in optimal position for the year for observation as it reaches Opposition on August 20th.
Neptune will be observable all month and is at its closes point to Earth for the year. Moving in retrograde, Neptune begins the month in the constellation Aquarius (The Water Bearer) and on August 13th crosses into the constellation Capricornus (the Sea Goat) where it can be found until January 2011.
On August 24th, the Full Moon will pass within 3°40’ of Neptune which may make it difficult to observe on that night.
Pluto is located in the constellation Sagittarius until the year 2023 and is observable until the late evening hours of August. At the start of the month, Pluto sets around 3:30 pm (PDT) and by the end of the month Pluto sets around 1:30 am (PDT).
8/2/2010 Last Quarter Moon
8/6/2010 Mercury reaches its Greatest Eastern Elongation - Best Evening View (27°22′01″)
8/8/2010 Venus and Saturn conjunction less than 2°50′ apart
8/9/2010 New Moon
8/10/2010 Waxing, crescent Moon less than 3° from Mercury
8/12/2010 Venus , Saturn, Mars and the waxing, crescent Moon within 10° of each other
8/16/2010 First Quarter Moon
8/18/2010 waxing, gibbous Moonn passes within 6° of Pluto
8/19/2010 Venus reaches its Greatest Eastern Elongation - Best Evening View (45°57′32″)
8/20/2010 Neptune reaches opposition
8/20/2010 Venus and Mars conjunction less than 2° apart
8/24/2010 Full corn Moon passes within 3°40′ of Neptune
8/26/2010 Waning, gibbous Moon passes within 5°50′ from Jupiter and less than 5°15′ of Uranus
8/31/2010 Venus in conjunction with the Star Spica within 1° of each other.
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