Astronomy News for the Month of August 2005

• Moon
• Planets
  • Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
• Astronomical Events
  • Meteor Showers, Occultations, Comets, Eclipses, Asteroids
• Other Items of Interest
• Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions
• Mars Missions
• Links and Other Space News
• Astronomical Lexicon
• Universe Today
• Acknowledgments and References
• Subscription Information
• Newsletter Archives
• Items of Special Interest to Ham Radio Operators
• IAAS News
• Web Sites of Interest

Background screen credits: NGC 5775 - Imaged March 21/22, 2001 using the 16" Kitt Peak Visitors Center telescope as part of the Advanced Observing Program.

Moon

Phases

• New Moon on the 4th.
• 1st Quarter Moon on the 12th.
• Full moon on the 19th.
• Last Quarter Moon on the 26th.

Apogee/Perigee

• Apogee on the 4th, 252,669 mi. from Earth.
• Perigee on the 19th, 222,074 mi. from Earth.

Moon/Planet Pairs

• The Moon passes 1.2° north of Venus on the 7th.
• The Moon passes 1.3° south of Jupiter on the 10th.
• The Moon passes 0.4° north of Antares on the 14th.
• The Moon passes 5° south of Neptune on the 18th.
• The Moon passes 2° south of Uranus on the 20th.
• The Moon passes 6° north of Mars on the 25th.
• The Moon passes 5° north of Saturn on the 31st.

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Planets

Planetary Reports generated by "TheSky" software. These reports provide predicted data for the planets for the first of each month for the current year. The rise and set times for the Sun and the Moon for each day of the month are also included in the reports.

(All times are local unless otherwise noted.)

• Mercury - Is at greatest western elongation (18°) on the 23rd. Mercury rises at 6:50 am on the 1st and about 5:11 am by month's end. Look for Mercury in the morning sky during the last two weeks of August. Mercury shines at magnitude -1.0 on the 31st.

• Venus - Is visible in the evening sky. Look to the west soon after sunset to spot Venus moving from the constellation of Leo into Virgo this month. Venus sets at 9:43 pm on the 1st and 9:01 pm by month's end. Venus shines at magnitude -3.8.

• Earth - N/A.

• Mars - Appears in the late evening sky this month. Mars rises about 11:46 pm on the 1st and about 10:25 pm by month's end. Mars is in the tail of the constellation of Cetus this month. Mars shines at magnitude -0.5 on the 1st and brightens to magnitude -1.0 by the 31st.

• Jupiter - Can be spotted very low in the southwest in the early evening. Jupiter sets at 10:56 am on the 1st and 9:06 pm by month's end. Jupiter is in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter shines at magnitude -1.8.

• Saturn - Is very low in the east in the early morning. Saturn rises around 5:23 am on the 1st and about 3:40 am on the 31st. Saturn is in the constellation of Cancer. Saturn shines at a magnitude of 0.3.

• Uranus - Is at opposition on the 31st. Uranus rises at 9:29 pm on the 1st and about 7:24 pm by month's end. Uranus is in the constellation of Aquarius and shines at a magnitude of 5.7.

• Neptune - Is at opposition on the 8th. Neptune rises at 8:24 pm on the 1st and about 4:36 pm by month's end. Neptune is in the constellation of Capricornus and shines at a magnitude of 7.8.

• Pluto - Rises about 4:33 pm on the 1st and about 2:30 pm by month's end. Pluto is in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Pluto shines at magnitude 13.9. As always, good luck at spotting this one.

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Astronomical Events

Meteor Showers

• The Northern Delta Aquarids extends from July 16 to September 10. Maximum occurs on August 13. The hourly rates reach a high of 10.

• The Perseids meteor shower is generally visible between July 23 and August 22. Maximum occurs during August 12/13. The hourly rate typically reaches 80, although some years have been as low as 4 and as high as 200. The meteors tend to be very fast, possess an average magnitude of 2.3 and leave persistent trains. The best time to observe this meteor shower this year will be in the early morning hours of August 12 before sunrise for North American observers. More on this year's Perseids at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/22jul_perseids2005.htm?list173350"

Occultations

• More information on occultations can be found by clicking the IOTA logo.

Comets

• For information, orbital elements and ephemerides on observable comets, visit the Observable Comets page from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Eclipses

• No eclipse activity this month.

Asteroids

(From west to east)

• Pallas is in the constellation of Bootes.
• Ceres is in the constellation of Libra.
• Isis is in the constellation of Sagittarius.
• Juno is in the constellation of Taurus.
• Vesta is in the constellation of Gemini.

• Information about the Minor Planets can be found at the Minor Planet Observer web site.

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Other Items of Interest

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Planetary/Lunar Exploration Missions

(Excerpts from recent JPL mission updates)

• Cassini - July 29, 2005 - Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus
  (Source: NASA/JPL)

  "Saturn's tiny icy moon Enceladus, which ought to be cold and dead, instead displays evidence for active ice volcanism.

  NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found a huge cloud of water vapor over the moon's south pole, and warm fractures where evaporating ice probably supplies the vapor cloud. Cassini has also confirmed Enceladus is the major source of Saturn's largest ring, the E-ring."

  Cassini Imaging Team

  For the latest mission status reports, visit Cassini Mission Status web page. The speed and location of the spacecraft along its flightpath can be viewed on the "Where is Cassini Now?" web page.

• Deep Impact - July 21, 2005 - Deep Impact Steers New Course

  "Seventeen days after its encounter with comet Tempel 1, NASA's Deep Impact flyby spacecraft successfully executed a trajectory correction maneuver that places the spacecraft on a path to fly past Earth on Dec. 31, 2007. The 900-second burn, which changed the spacecraft's velocity by 216 miles per hour, preserves the space agency's options for future use of the comet hunter."

  For the latest mission status reports, visit http://www.nasa.gov/deepimpact and http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/.

• Stardust - No new news since April 06, 2005 - NASA Teams Receive National Recognition -
  "NASA accomplishments in aviation and aerospace were honored at Aviation Week and Space Technology's 48th Annual Aerospace Laurels Awards. Laurel honorees were nominated by the editors of the aerospace magazine for "extraordinary individual and team accomplishments in the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries."

  Stardust LPSC 2004 Abstracts
  "Abstracts of the Stardust science results from the Comet Wild 2 encounter are now available here (Adobe Acrobat reader required): ftp://www.lpi.usra.edu/pub/outgoing/lpsc2004/full07.pdf"

  For more information on the Stardust mission - the first ever comet sample return mission - please visit the Stardust home page.

• Past, Present, Future and Proposed JPL Missions - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions

• Visit JPL's mission pages for current status.

Mars Missions

• Mars Global Surveyor - July 13, 2005 -
  Spying Changes in Mars' South Polar Cap

  "This animated image shows Mars in motion over the last six years. Images from the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have documented dramatic changes in the planet's south polar cap.

  The south polar residual cap of Mars is composed of layered, frozen carbon dioxide. In 1999, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) showed that the carbon dioxide layers have been eroded to form a variety of circular pits, arcuate scarps (arc-shaped slopes), troughs, buttes, and mesas."

  Mars Global Surveyor Images - July 21-27, 2005
  "The following new images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft are now available:

  • Polygon-Cracked Plain (Released 21 July 2005)
    
  • Bouldery Trough (Released 22 July 2005)
    
  • Carbon Dioxide Landscape (Released 23 July 2005)
    
  • Triple Impact (Released 24 July 2005)
    
  • Martian Gullies (Released 25 July 2005)
    
  • Mars at Ls 249 Degrees (Released 26 July 2005)
    
  • Collapse Pits (Released 27 July 2005)
    
  • All of the Mars Global Surveyor images are archived here.

  Every six months, a new suite of MGS MOC data are archived with the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS).

  Information about how to submit requests is online at the new Mars Orbiter Camera Target Request Site, at http://www.msss.com/plan/intro"

  Newly-released MOC images can be seen in the MOC Gallery, a web site maintained by Malin Space Science Systems, the company that built and operates MOC for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA.

  Mars Global Surveyor has begun its eighth year orbiting the red planet. MGS reached Mars on 12 September 1997. The first MOC images were obtained on 15 September 1997.

  Visit the MGS pages at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/index.html. There are over 200,000 images of Mars from the MGS, check out the newest MGS images of the surface of Mars.

• Mars Odyssey Orbiter - July 08, 2005 - Mars Odyssey Achieved 15,000 Science Orbits

  Mars Odyssey Themis Images July 25-29, 2005

  • Refilled Crater (Released 25 July 2005)
    
  • Crater Ejecta (Released 26 July 2005)
    
  • Eroded Ejecta (Released 27 July 2005)
    
  • Radial Erosion (Released 28 July 2005)
    
  • Craters Filling Fraters (Released 29 July 2005)
    
  • All of the THEMIS images are archived here.

  The Odyssey data are available through a new online access system established by the Planetary Data System at: http://starbrite.jpl.nasa.gov/pds/"

  Visit the Mars Odyssey Mission page.

• Mars Exploration Rover Mission (Spirit and Opportunity) - July 28, 2005 -
  Spirit Status: Spirit in Target-Rich Environment - sol 546-551, July 25, 2005

  "Spirit had an excellent week, driving every planning cycle. The rover drove more than 70 meters (230 feet) closer to the summit of Husband Hill.

  The science team has identified an outcrop suitable for inspecting with instruments on the robotic arm. On Sol 550 (July 20, 2005), Spirit approached that target. The following sol the rover "bumped" forward to get into good position for extending the arm to the target."

  Opportunity Status: Rocks and Cobbles on the Way to 'Erebus' - sol 524-530, July 25, 2005

  "The Opportunity team's current strategy for driving alternates segments of using visual odometry to check for slippage with segments of blind driving for less than 5 meters (16 feet). The strategy and hard work designing and commanding drives through troughs between ripples contributed to the rover making 89 meters (292 feet) of progress over three drive plans.

  Rocks and cobbles have begun appearing in images of Opportunity's new surroundings, for the first time in many weeks of traversing through rippled terrain.

  The rover's power team reported a dust-cleaning event on Opportunity between sols 524 and 526. Daily power output from solar panels increased from about 500 watt hours to about 650 watt hours."

  Landing sites

  Visit the Mars Exploration Rover page.

• Mars Missions Status - New Mars missions are being planned to include several new rover and sample collection missions. Check out the Mars Missions web page and the Mars Exploration page.