See The Perseids And A Crescent Moon: Stargazing This Weekend

Topline

With a waning crescent moon out of the early evening sky, this weekend is among the best of the year for stargazers. Summer constellations for the northern hemisphere are out in force, with the Big Dipper in the northwest and Cygnus, Aquila and Lyra forming the Summer Triangle — home to the Milky Way — in the south. With the imminent peak of the Perseid meteor shower just hours after a total solar eclipse, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing this weekend, for Friday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 9.

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Timeline

VENUS DOMINATES THE EVENING SKY

While attention this week is on meteors and the moon, a longer-term story is unfolding in the western sky. Venus is now climbing higher after sunset and is on the verge of becoming the defining object of the evening sky. On Aug. 12, Venus will appear about half-lit — a phase similar to a quarter moon — marking the point (called dichotomy) at which it begins to transition into a crescent. From then on, as it moves closer to Earth in its orbit, its apparent size will increase while its illuminated portion shrinks. It causes Venus to grow dramatically brighter — helped by the fact that the planet is always cloudy, so reflects a lot of light. Over the following weeks, it will transform into a striking crescent and continue brightening, ultimately reaching peak brilliance on Sept. 18. At that point, it will outshine every object in the night sky except the moon.

WATCHING FOR EARLY PERSEIDS

Meteor showers are often misunderstood as one-night events, but there’s more to the Perseid meteor shower than the peak overnight on Aug. 12/13. In reality, they build gradually as Earth moves through a stream of debris left by a comet — in this case, Comet Swift–Tuttle. By early August, the Perseids are already active, but it’s only when we reach a few nights before that rates begin to build. You may see a few meteors per hour, especially after midnight when your location rotates into the direction of Earth’s motion through space. What makes this year exceptional for the peak of the Perseids is timing — it occurs just hours after a new moon, meaning no moonlight at all, something that dramatically improves visibility. The Perseids can produce 80 to 100 meteors per hour, including occasional bright fireballs. All you need now is a clear sky.

What’s Next In The Night Sky

The next four weeks are dominated by a single sequence. On Aug. 12, a solar eclipse occurs (total in parts of Europe, partial in parts of North America) alongside a new moon, creating perfect conditions for the Perseid meteor shower peak that night. In the days that follow, Venus reaches dichotomy (half-lit) also on Aug. 12, then reaches greatest elongation east (its farthest apparent point from the sun) on Aug. 15, becoming the brightest object in the evening sky after the moon. It will continue to dominate twilight through late summer. Later in the month, the partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27–28 offers a second chance to see a celestial shadow in action, with 96% of the full moon immersed in Earth’s shadow.

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Further reading

ForbesNASA Urges U.S. Public To Watch Aug. 12’s Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie CarterForbesSee The First Perseids As Solar Eclipse Nears: The Night Sky This WeekBy Jamie CarterForbesSolar Eclipse Glasses: Where To Buy Them And How To Check They’re SafeBy Jamie CarterForbesIt’s Exactly A Year Until The ‘Eclipse Of The Century’By Jamie CarterForbesWhy NASA Is About To Fly Into Iceland’s Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie Carter