Happy Monday!
Welcome to the 3rd edition of Storm Team 6 Starwatch! This is a blog that will be posted weekly that will list events happening in the sky this week!
Monday, August 12th – Tuesday, August 13th 2019
The Perseid meteor shower will be at its peak! These meteors are a result of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. Monday night is when this meteor shower will peak. Typically, this is one of the “best” meteor showers because of its high meteor rate. However, there is a also a full moon on Thursday, August 15th. Because the moon will be nearly full on Monday/Tuesday, it will be harder to see these meteors.
The Perseids are best seen between 2 AM and dawn! Fun fact, meteor showers are named based on where in the sky they originate from, which is called the radiant. The Perseid radiant is in the constellation Perseus.
Meteors will be visible to the naked eye and you can see meteors coming from any direction!
Also on Monday night, Saturn will be easy to spot. It will be about 6 degrees away from the Moon. You will also be able to see what looks like a teapot in Sagittarius. The image below shows what to look for in the sky.
Thursday, August 15th 2019
Tonight is the August Full Moon. This moon is called the Sturgeon Moon because it occurs when sturgeons, a type of fish, are more readily visible.
Saturday, August 17th 2019
The Moon will be at apogee tonight or the furthest point from Earth in its orbit.
Special thanks to Tony Rice for this information! Additionally, the following sites were used:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2019/08/