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It’s a busy morning! Search for Perseid meteors as you catch a conjunction of brilliant Jupiter and Venus earlier than daybreak.
The Perseids peak the morning of the conjunction between Venus and Jupiter. Uranus will probably require binoculars to view beneath the intense circumstances. Credit score: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
At 4:00 AM EDT, a conjunction happens with Venus (magnitude -4.0) passing 0.9° south of Jupiter (magnitude -1.9) within the constellation Gemini, simply seen to the unaided eye roughly 7° above the jap horizon.
Binoculars or a telescope will enable remark of each planets throughout the identical discipline of view, revealing Venus’s 13″ diameter and 79% illumination, and Jupiter’s 33″ diameter with its 4 Galilean moons seen.
The Perseid meteor bathe peaks concurrently, with roughly a dozen meteors per hour anticipated regardless of interference from the intense Moon. The radiant is situated close to the star Mirfak, 50° excessive within the east at 4:00 AM native time.
The Moon (86% illuminated, waning gibbous) is positioned 3.5° northwest of Saturn in Pisces earlier than daybreak, with Neptune situated 1.2° north of Saturn.
This morning is a busy one: Venus passes 0.9° south of Jupiter at 4 A.M. EDT, the 2 planets formally assembly in a conjunction because the Perseid meteor bathe peaks.
Step outdoors at 4 A.M. native time to catch the present. At the moment, Venus and Jupiter are some 7° excessive within the east, situated centrally in Gemini the Twins. Venus is the brightest object within the sky, blazing at magnitude –4.0. Jupiter, which sits simply to Venus’ higher left, is not any slouch at magnitude –1.9. The 2 brilliant factors of sunshine will probably be unmissable within the early-morning sky, with the Twins’ brightest two stars, Castor and Pollux, shining to their left. Pollux, which sits nearer to the horizon as Gemini rises, is simply barely brighter than Castor, which seems above it.
By means of binoculars or a telescope, each planets ought to be seen in the identical discipline of view. A telescope will reveal much more element: Venus spans 13” and seems 79 p.c lit. Jupiter stretches roughly twice that, at 33” throughout, with its 4 Galilean moons on show. By 4 A.M. EDT, Callisto lies alone to Jupiter’s east. Io is near the planet’s western limb, having accomplished a transit of the planet’s disk roughly 20 minutes earlier. Farther west lie Europa after which Ganymede.
As you’re gazing on the planets, be sure that to take a while to scan the sky for capturing stars, because the annual Perseid meteor bathe peaks this morning. The brilliant Moon will sadly intervene, however the Perseids usually produce brilliant meteors, which means one of the best of what the bathe has to supply ought to nonetheless be seen. By 4 A.M. native daylight time, the bathe’s radiant is 50° excessive within the east, close to the star Mirfak. Trying some methods away from this level will up your possibilities of recognizing meteors with lengthy, brilliant trains. You possibly can count on to see a couple of dozen meteors per hour, given the sky circumstances this morning.
That brilliant Moon stands 3.5° northwest of Saturn in Pisces earlier than daybreak, excessive within the southern sky. Neptune — invisible with out binoculars or a telescope, and even then tough due to the moonlight — is 1.2° north of Saturn.
Dawn: 6:09 A.M.Sundown: 8:00 P.M.Moonrise: 9:47 P.M.Moonset: 9:49 A.M.Moon Section: Waning gibbous (86%)*Occasions for dawn, sundown, moonrise, and moonset are given in native time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. native time from the identical location.
For a glance forward at extra upcoming sky occasions, try our full Sky This Week column.
