A lunar eclipse and a meteor shower join a highly anticipated solar eclipse in a month packed with amazing sky shows.
The total solar eclipse coming on August 21 dominates astronomical headlines this month. But plenty more celestial sights are slated to delight sky-watchers in the coming weeks, from a lunar eclipse to a spectacular meteor shower that is sure to light up the night sky.
SATURN AND MOON—AUGUST 2
After darkness falls, look south for the waxing gibbous moon to pair up with Saturn. To the naked eye, the giant planet looks like a bright, yellow-tinged star. However, through even the smallest of backyard telescopes, the distant world will show off its famous rings.
Having just made its closest pass to Earth less than two month ago, Saturn will still appear impressively big and bright through the eyepiece. A telescope will also easily reveal a 3,000-mile-wide gap in the rings known as the Cassini Division and a few of Saturn’s largest moons. By the next evening, the moon will sit to the far left of the ringed world. Read more...
The total solar eclipse coming on August 21 dominates astronomical headlines this month. But plenty more celestial sights are slated to delight sky-watchers in the coming weeks, from a lunar eclipse to a spectacular meteor shower that is sure to light up the night sky.
SATURN AND MOON—AUGUST 2
After darkness falls, look south for the waxing gibbous moon to pair up with Saturn. To the naked eye, the giant planet looks like a bright, yellow-tinged star. However, through even the smallest of backyard telescopes, the distant world will show off its famous rings.
Having just made its closest pass to Earth less than two month ago, Saturn will still appear impressively big and bright through the eyepiece. A telescope will also easily reveal a 3,000-mile-wide gap in the rings known as the Cassini Division and a few of Saturn’s largest moons. By the next evening, the moon will sit to the far left of the ringed world. Read more...