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(As mentioned in Astronomy Now August 2007 p43)
The Spring/Summer Night Sky March 2008 to August 2008
All data sourced from Sky Map Pro v11 edited by R.Williams
March 2008 Sky
Moon
New moon: 17:14 07-Mar-2008
First quarter: 10:46 14-Mar-2008
Full moon: 18:40 21-Mar-2008
Last quarter: 21:47 29-Mar-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Saturday 01 Mar 2008
The Sun is in Aquarius. It rises at 06:57, transits the meridian at 12:22, and sets at 17:49. The length of the day is 10h 51m.
The Moon is in Sagittarius with a phase of 34%, and is 23.6 days old. New Moon will occur in 5.9 days time. It rises at 04:04, transits at 07:06, and sets at 10:08. It is visible in the morning sky.
Mercury is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +0.2, a phase of 54%, and a diameter of 7". It rises at 06:09, transits at 10:38, and sets at 15:08. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Venus is in Capricornus with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 91%, and a diameter of 11". It rises at 06:17, transits at 10:45, and sets at 15:15. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Mars is in Taurus with a magnitude of +0.2, a phase of 91%, and a diameter of 9". It sets at 04:21, rises again at 10:35, and transits at 19:27. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.0 and a diameter of 34". It rises at 04:51, transits at 08:40, and sets at 12:29. It is visible in the morning sky.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.2 and a diameter of 20". It transits at 00:02, sets at 07:09, and rises again at 16:51. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.9 and a diameter of 3". It rises at 07:15, transits at 12:49, and sets at 18:23. It is currently too close to the Sun to be observed.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +8.0 and a diameter of 2". It rises at 06:28, transits at 11:11, and sets at 15:54. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +14.0. It rises at 03:10, transits at 07:36, and sets at 12:01. It is visible in the morning sky.
The Stars in March (at 20:00hrs GMT)
North – Ursa Minor is nicely placed with Draco near the horizon
South – Gemini and Taurus are nicely placed with Mars between them. Canis Major skirts the horizon
East – Leo with Saturn near Regulus, by the Lions front feet. Virgo just starting to rise
West – Pisces setting with Andromeda and Pegasus
April 2008 Sky - All Times Now BST
Moon
New moon: 03:55 06-Apr-2008
First quarter: 18:32 12-Apr-2008
Full moon: 10:25 20-Apr-2008
Last quarter: 14:12 28-Apr-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Tuesday 01 Apr 2008
The Sun is in Pisces. It rises at 06:43, transits the meridian at 13:14, and sets at 19:46. The length of the day is 13h 03m.
The Moon is in Capricornus with a phase of 23%, and is 25.0 days old. New Moon will occur in 4.4 days time. It rises at 05:11, transits at 09:21, and sets at 13:42. It is visible in the morning sky.
Mercury is in Pisces with a magnitude of -0.7, a phase of 90%, and a diameter of 5". It rises at 06:37, transits at 12:24, and sets at 18:14. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Venus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 95%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at 06:27, transits at 12:10, and sets at 17:55. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Mars is in Gemini with a magnitude of +0.8, a phase of 90%, and a diameter of 7". It sets at 04:02, rises again at 10:34, and transits at 19:17. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.1 and a diameter of 37". It rises at 04:04, transits at 07:57, and sets at 11:50. It is visible in the morning sky.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.4 and a diameter of 19". It sets at 06:04, rises again at 15:37, and transits at 22:48. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.9 and a diameter of 3". It rises at 06:16, transits at 11:54, and sets at 17:31. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +8.0 and a diameter of 2". It rises at 05:28, transits at 10:13, and sets at 14:58. It is visible in the morning sky.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +14.0. It rises at 02:09, transits at 06:35, and sets at 11:01. It is visible in the morning sky.
The Stars in April (at 21:00 BST)
North – Ursa Minor nicely placed with the 'tail' of Cygnus skirting the horizon
South – Cancer on the meridian with Gemini (Mars) and Leo (Saturn) nicely placed
East – Coma Berenices and Cannes Venatici on the meridian. Arcturus in Bootes near the horizon
West – Auriga well placed, with Taurus just below. Perseus nicely placed
May 2008 Sky
Moon
New moon: 12:18 05-May-2008
First quarter: 03:47 12-May-2008
Full moon: 02:11 20-May-2008
Last quarter: 02:56 28-May-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Thursday 01 May 2008
The Sun is in Aries. It rises at 05:35, transits the meridian at 13:07, and sets at 20:40. The length of the day is 15h 05m.
The Moon is in Pisces with a phase of 19%, and is 25.6 days old. New Moon will occur in 3.8 days time. It rises at 03:55, transits at 09:33, and sets at 15:27. It is visible in the morning sky.
Mercury is in Taurus with a magnitude of -0.8, a phase of 73%, and a diameter of 6". It rises at 05:58, transits at 14:11, and sets at 22:27. It is visible low in the west after sunset.
Venus is in Aries with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 98%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at 05:26, transits at 12:29, and sets at 19:33. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Mars is in Gemini with a magnitude of +1.2, a phase of 91%, and a diameter of 6". It sets at 02:47, rises again at 09:59, and transits at 18:22. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.4 and a diameter of 41". It rises at 02:13, transits at 06:08, and sets at 10:03. It is visible in the morning sky.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.5 and a diameter of 19". It sets at 04:04, rises again at 13:34, and transits at 20:47. It is visible in the evening sky.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.9 and a diameter of 3". It rises at 04:20, transits at 10:01, and sets at 15:42. It is visible in the morning sky.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +7.9 and a diameter of 2". It rises at 03:32, transits at 08:18, and sets at 13:04. It is visible in the morning sky.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +13.9. It rises at 00:10, transits at 04:36, and sets at 09:02. It is visible in the morning sky.
The Stars in May(at 22:00 BST)
North – Cassiopeia and Cepheus nicely placed. Ursa Minor high up
South – Leo resplendent with Saturn. Virgo nicely placed for viewing. Crater and Corvus hanging from the 'tail' of Hydra the water snake near the horizon
East – Bootes and Corona Borealis nicely placed. Hercules becoming easier to view
West – Gemini (with Mars) nicely placed for viewing, Orion starting to set.
Thoughts for the Summer months
Saturn and Mars still visible until after midnight – will be in very close conjunction in the western twilight on 9th July at around 2200 BST. Jupiter visible low down in the south.
On the 4th of August it will be possible to watch Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and finally the waxing crescent Moon setting in the evening twilight from 2000hrs onwards
June 2008 Sky
Moon
New moon: 19:22 03-Jun-2008
First quarter: 15:03 10-Jun-2008
Full moon: 17:30 18-Jun-2008
Last quarter: 12:10 26-Jun-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Sunday 01 June 2008
The Sun is in Taurus. It rises at 04:48, transits the meridian at 13:08, and sets at 21:29. The length of the day is 16h 41m.
The Moon is in Aries with a phase of 8%, and is 27.0 days old. New Moon will occur in 2.3 days time. It rises at 02:49, transits at 10:41, and sets at 18:58. It is visible in the morning sky.
Mercury is in Taurus with a magnitude of +3.9, a phase of 3%, and a diameter of 12". It rises at 05:32, transits at 13:47, and sets at 22:00. It is visible low in the west after sunset.
Venus is in Taurus with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 100%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at 04:45, transits at 12:59, and sets at 21:14. It is currently too close to the Sun to be observed.
Mars is in Cancer with a magnitude of +1.5, a phase of 92%, and a diameter of 5". It sets at 01:23, rises again at 09:39, and transits at 17:30. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.6 and a diameter of 45". It rises at 00:10, transits at 04:04, and sets at 07:57. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.7 and a diameter of 18". It sets at 02:03, rises again at 11:37, and transits at 18:48. It is visible in the evening sky.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.8 and a diameter of 3". It rises at 02:20, transits at 08:03, and sets at 13:46. It is visible in the morning sky.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +7.9 and a diameter of 2". It rises at 01:30, transits at 06:16, and sets at 11:03. It is visible in the morning sky.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +13.9. It transits at 02:32, sets at 06:58, and rises again at 22:02. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
The Stars in June(at 22:00 BST)
North – The two Bears are well placed with Cepheus and Cassiopeia well placed for observation. Perseus skirts the horizon.
East – Hercules and Lyra are well placed with Corona Borealis also in view
South - Virgo is well placed with lee (and Saturn) nicely in view. Bootes is high above and Libra is just starting to rise.
West – Gemini is setting with Caner (and Mars) not far behind). Hydra skirts the horizon. There is a nice apparition of Mars, Regulus and Saturn on the evening of the 25th of June.
Meteors
There are no major showers in June, however there are a number of minor showers that may give around 5 meteors per hour
July 2008 Sky
Moon
New moon: 02:18 03-Jul-2008
First quarter: 04:35 10-Jul-2008
Full moon: 07:59 18-Jul-2008
Last quarter: 18:41 25-Jul-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Tuesday 01 July 2008
The Sun is in Gemini. It rises at 04:46, transits the meridian at 13:14, and sets at 21:42. The length of the day is 16h 56m.
The Moon is in Taurus with a phase of 4%, and is 27.7 days old. New Moon will occur in 1.6 days time. It rises at 02:16, transits at 11:30, and sets at 20:52. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Mercury is in Taurus with a magnitude of +0.5, a phase of 36%, and a diameter of 8". It rises at 03:42, transits at 11:41, and sets at 19:42. It is visible low in the east before sunrise.
Venus is in Gemini with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 99%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at 05:13, transits at 13:41, and sets at 22:09. It is currently too close to the Sun to be observed.
Mars is in Leo with a magnitude of +1.6, a phase of 94%, and a diameter of 4". It rises at 09:26, transits at 16:40, and sets at 23:53. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.7 and a diameter of 47". It transits at 01:53, sets at 05:42, and rises again at 21:59. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.8 and a diameter of 17". It sets at 00:08, rises again at 09:52, and transits at 16:58. It is visible in the evening sky.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.8 and a diameter of 4". It rises at 00:23, transits at 06:06, and sets at 11:49. It is visible in the morning sky.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +7.8 and a diameter of 2". It transits at 04:17, sets at 09:03, and rises again at 23:28. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +13.9. It transits at 00:31, sets at 04:56, and rises again at 20:01. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
The Stars in July(at 22:00 BST)
North – Ursa Minor, Cepheus and Cassiopeia are well placed. Perseus is near the horizon
East – Aquila, Lyra and Cygnus are well placed. Draco is almost overhead and Delphinus and Equuleus is near the horizon
South – Libra, Serpens and Corona Borealis form a line up the Southern meridian
West – Leo with Saturn and Mars near Regulus is setting – there will be a close conjunction of Mars and Saturn on this night
Meteors
There are no major showers in July
August 2008 Sky
1st August 2008 Total eclipse of the sun in china, partial in uk.
Moon
New moon: 10:12 01-Aug-2008
First quarter: 20:20 08-Aug-2008
Full moon: 21:16 16-Aug-2008
Last quarter: 23:49 23-Aug-2008
Sun and Planets, Visibility Report for Friday 01 August 2008
The Sun is in Cancer. It rises at 05:26, transits the meridian at 13:16, and sets at 21:05. The length of the day is 15h 39m.
The Moon is in Cancer with a phase of 0%, and is 0.1 days old. First Quarter will occur in 7.3 days time. It rises at 05:08, transits at 13:22, and sets at 21:12. It is currently too close to the Sun to be observed.
Mercury is in Cancer with a magnitude of -1.7, a phase of 99%, and a diameter of 5". It rises at 05:35, transits at 13:31, and sets at 21:24. It is currently too close to the Sun to be observed.
Venus is in Leo with a magnitude of -3.9, a phase of 97%, and a diameter of 10". It rises at 06:48, transits at 14:16, and sets at 21:44. It is visible low in the west after sunset.
Mars is in Leo with a magnitude of +1.7, a phase of 96%, and a diameter of 4". It rises at 09:16, transits at 15:48, and sets at 22:19. It is visible in the evening sky.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of -2.7 and a diameter of 47". It sets at 03:20, rises again at 19:45, and transits at 23:30. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Saturn is in Leo with a magnitude of +0.8 and a diameter of 16". It rises at 08:09, transits at 15:08, and sets at 22:07. It is visible low in the west after sunset.
Uranus is in Aquarius with a magnitude of +5.8 and a diameter of 4". It transits at 04:02, sets at 09:44, and rises again at 22:16. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Neptune is in Capricornus with a magnitude of +7.8 and a diameter of 2". It transits at 02:13, sets at 06:57, and rises again at 21:25. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
Pluto is in Sagittarius with a magnitude of +13.9. It sets at 02:51, rises again at 17:57, and transits at 22:22. It is well placed for observation throughout the night.
The Stars in August(at 22:00 BST)
North – Perseus is starting to rise a little earlier heralding the advent of the Autumn stars
East – Cygnus is prominent with Pegasus and Andromeda low down
South – Hercules is well placed for observation with Sagittarius (and Jupiter) near the horizon
West – Bootes is well placed with Leo near the horizon
Meteors
The Perseids are active between 23rd July and 20th August with a maximum on the 12th of August. Typically this is a rich shower with up to 50 meteors per hour. On the 12th of August there will be a gibbous Moon so observing this meteor shower could be difficult until the hours before dawn after the Moon has set (sets at around Midnight)
Looking forward to the Autumn Night Sky
Orion visible in the morning sky
Meteor showers in October (Orionids) and November (Taurids and Leonids)
Jupiter will make a welcome return to the Night Sky – however it will be low down compared to previous apparitions