Each Monday I pick out the northern hemisphere’s celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.
The Night Sky This Week: August 14-20, 2023
This week sees a New Moon, which makes it one of the best of the year to go stargazing in the northern hemisphere. Not only has true darkness returned to northern latitudes, but there’s no moonlight and the Milky Way is riding high. It’s the ideal week to plan a stargazing trip or to host a star party. Get outside, look up and lose yourself in the wonders of the night sky. Here’s what to go find:
Monday, August 14: ‘Shooting Stars’
With the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower just a few nights ago you should still be able to find “shooting stars” in dark skies. The best advice is to head somewhere without light pollution, though you’ll also need a perfectly clear sky.
Wednesday, August 16: New Moon
Expect dark and moonless night skies tonight as our satellite slips into the sun’s glare from our point of view. New moon also signals the beginning of a new lunation, so in the coming nights we can look forward to seeing to see a beautiful crescent moon above the western horizon just after sunset.
Friday, August 18: Crescent Moon and Mars
Look to the west after dark and you’ll see the beautiful sight of a slim crescent moon just 1º from Mars. You may need binoculars to see this (though any pair will suffice).
Constellation Of The Week: Sagittarius And The Teapot
The constellation of Sagittarius, the Archer, is a fabulous sight in summer night skies because it’s part of the dense star fields of the Milky Way galaxy.
It’s actually close to the galaxy’s center, so stare at Sagittarius and you’re looking at galactic central point.
The key sight here isn’t the shape of ‘The Archer,” but as asterism called the “Teapot.” Look south in the evening hours to the left Scorpius.
Object Of The Week: The Ring Nebula
Around 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra, this bright and colourful planetary nebula is best seen through a six-inch telescope.
To see the remnants of an exploded star clearly is much easier if you’re away from light pollution.
It was recently captured in exquisite detail by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset times for where you are.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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