Night sky

astronomy The Night Sky

AUGUST ASTRONOMY NIGHT - OR DAY!

With a few very brief hours of real astronomical darkness at this time of the year it is perhaps a good time to look out for a few amazing things in the daytime sky. It is also the month for one of the best meteor showers: The Perseid shower can be a spectacular event for much of the month. We will also take a closer look at the constellation of Perseus, where the shower will seem to emanate from. Saturn and Jupiter are a stunning sight as they continue to cross the night sky and Mars is brightening each night this month. This is still a great time to view a beautiful stretch of the summer Milky Way as you look towards the south. It passes through the centre of Cygnus all the way down to the southern horizon. A new feature this month is my Astro Sketching tutorial, have a look and do give it a go. A bit of daytime astronomy will perhaps appeal to some folks who are early bedders this month and especially since we must wait so long for just a short few dark hours at night. As most of these phenomena will appear a little before the hours of the setting sun please do take particular care and never look directly at the extremely damaging light of the sun. Of course we are so familiar with the rainbow, but it is possible to find a few other atmospheric effects such as Sun Dogs, arcs of colour above the sun or distorted sunsets. Sun Dogs are a fairly common occurrence which can be viewed in pairs, one each side of the Sun, at roughly 22 degrees. They are also known as Parhelia. They occur because of sun light defracting through ice crystals high in the atmosphere. Upside-down rainbows appear when the Sun is quite low in the sky and often at the same time as Sun dogs. The other name for the upside-down rainbow is a Circumzenithal arc. They curve down towards the sun and are red on the outer edge. They are also formed by ice crystals. I have once seen a Glory when hillwalking in Scotland - stunning patterns of concentric coloured rings and can be seen opposite the sun. During a foggy sunrise or sunset you may be able to spot a Glory standing with the sun behind you. The Sun will often appear distorted as it sets because of light passing through the Earth's atmosphere. It can seem to be flattened, oval in shape or even as a series of cigar shapes.

A stunning Meteor Shower

One of the best meteor showers of the year will occur during much of this month. The 'Perseids' (so called as they will seem to emanate from the close by constellation of Perseus) are fast and can leave persistent trains (persistent afterglows). When at their peak on 11th -12th of the month it may be possible to see up to 90 meteors per hour. A few bright fireballs may also be spotted. To view in a comfortable position it is a good idea to lie back on the ground or on a sun lounger with a clear view of the sky and allow your eyes to become adjusted to the dark for about twenty minutes. Perseus can be found in the north east below and just to the right of the pole star. Catch the shower, after dark, right through to the 23rd of this month.

Constellation of the Month: Perseus

Perseus, or 'The Hero' with his sword held high is found close to his wife, Andromeda. In Greek legend he rescued her from the sea-monster Cetus who was then turned to stone. Andromeda's mother, Queen Cassiopeia is also found nearby. The lead star in Perseus is Mirphak, which is a yellow - white star and is an amazing 62 times the diameter of our Sun. Perseus sits over the Milky Way so is a fascinating area of the sky to explore with the naked eye or with binoculars if you have them. It contains many nebulae and clusters, including M34 which could just be visible to the unaided eye if you are in an area with fairly dark skies.

The Moon and Planets This Month

On the 1st and 2nd of the month, around midnight, a bright almost Full Moon will pass close to the planets Saturn and Jupiter. Look towards the south. If you are up and about at one or two in the mornings of 9th and 10th the Moon will be seen close to the planet Mars. A lovely crescent Moon can be seen between the bright and beautiful Pleiades cluster and the star Aldebaran at 3 am on 13th, looking east. Venus is a bright early morning object at this time of the year and you can spot it in the east close to Castor and Pollux before sunrise. At the end of the month, around midnight on the 28th and 29th, the Moon can be seen towards the south, seemingly passing below Saturn and Jupiter. Claire Wardlaw, originally from Edinburgh, lives in the Charente with her husband. Since their move over 4 years ago, Claire has become passionate about astronomy.

By Claire Wardlaw

77% Waxing Gibbous Moon. The Bay of Rainbows can be seen towards the top left just as the Moon disappears into the shadows. Celestron 9.25 Telescope Canon 6D Mark ii 20 images stacked ISO100 1/125 second 30th June 2020 23h35 Bortle 4 sky

Happy Stargazing

Sketching tutorial: 'The Bay of Rainbows'

I have, since coming to France, been able to link two of the activities which I am most passionate about; art and astronomy. I have been mainly working on sketches of the Moon for a few years now, sometimes directly from my telescope eyepiece and sometimes from images of my own (see above top right and page 43) or from images of others. Sketching from a laptop image is a great way to start as you can easily organise the bits and pieces that you need under normal lighting conditions. I have provided an image of one very prominent area of the Moon for this tutorial (top right). It is an area known as 'The Bay of Rainbows' or Sinus Iridum and can be found on the upper left of the Moon. To get started you will need; A4 black paper, white and black pencil or charcoal pencil, a cotton bud, a small plate which fits onto the A4 paper. 1.

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5. Firstly, draw a white circle on your A4 paper using the small plate and mark a point of north and south (or 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock) Next, for this project, I use the white charcoal or pencil to mark - as if on the face of a clock - the points where I can identify the main changes in dark or light areas of the area to be sketched Then using the white charcoal on its side and with a gentle rubbing motion add a lighter tone to the right hand side of the Moon surface Now use the cotton bud on its side to gently rub and soften the whiter areas you have added Take some time to identify small circular craters, lines of mountain ranges and other lighter details and 6.

7. begin to position them around the lighter area of your sketch. Some craters are more round, some more elliptical and they vary in size....

Now use the black and white charcoals to add a little more shadow and highlight to craters and features (I find it really useful to take a quick picture on my phone and look at what I have as I work as it helps me 'see' what I have sketched more easily!).

Continue adding details and adjusting the whitest whites and the darkest blacks referring frequently to the image I would love to see any sketches you do so please do join my group on Facebook and share them: Astronomy Sketching and Art/Astro Dessin

Les Nuits des Étoiles - In locations all over France Second weekend in August (dates vary depending on event see ‘carte’ link below)

www.kmille-astrophoto.com/nde2020 I www.afastronomie.fr/les-nuits-des-etoiles would love to see your sketches if you wanted to post them on my Facebook (click on: La carte des manifestations des Nuits des Etoiles Sketching group: 'Astronomy Sketching It has just been confirmed that the Nationwide astronomy and Art/ astronomers, set up ready to view the night sky. You will be event 'Les Nuits des Étoiles will be going ahead. I first took Astro Dessin'. able to share in guided star gazing, enjoy astronomy talks and part in this public astronomy event last year in Villejoubert view some stunning astrophotography displays. Social and I am so pleased to be able to attend once again this year. distancing and safety precautions will be taken and you must Many telescopes will be available over the course of the reserve your place this year. Bookings (free) and full details of weekend which are, with guidance from us amateur the event plus safety measures are online (see above).