Meteor shower, "blue moon", Saturn charging towards the sun... August astronomical theater is bustling with extraordinary astronomical phenomena
The Tianxiang Theater in August is bustling with excitement: not only will one of the three major meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseid meteor shower, visit, but also exciting shows such as Saturn's Sunburst and the Blue Moon will be released one after another.
On August 10th, we will welcome the eastward distance of Mercury. At sunset, Mercury is located in the northwest sky with average observation conditions. Expert Wang Yumin from the Beijing Ancient Observatory suggests that observers can use binoculars to search in unobstructed areas of the western sky.
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the three major meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere, and is highly popular due to its extreme dates in warm summer days. This year, the meteor shower will reach its maximum on August 13th, coinciding with the waning moon, during which moonlight has almost no impact on observations. For astronomy enthusiasts, this meteor shower should not be missed. Experts from the Beijing Planetarium say that the evening of August 13th is the best time to observe the Perseid meteor shower, with an estimated zenith flow of up to 100 per hour; Depending on the latitude and observation time, the number of meteors visible to observers per hour is approximately dozens. In addition, there was also a considerable meteor shower from the evening of the 12th to the early morning of the 13th.
The annual Saturn Rush will arrive on August 27th, with Saturn visible throughout the night and reaching its brightest brightness. According to experts from the planetarium, the rendezvous period between Saturn and Earth is 378 days, which is about 13 days per year. Therefore, Saturn's solar eclipse is almost a fixed annual performance. Saturn is the most beautiful planet in the solar system, with a wide and bright halo that can be easily seen even with a small telescope; If the aperture of the telescope is greater than 10 centimeters, observers still have a chance to see the famous Cassini ring gap.
There will be two full moons in August, both located near perigee and therefore are "super moons". Among them, the first full moon appeared in the early morning of the 2nd, which was more than 11 hours away from the time of passing through perigee. The evening of the 1st was more suitable for observation; The second full moon appeared on the morning of the 31st, which is also the largest full moon of the year, with a time difference of more than 9 hours from passing through perigee. Astronomical experts say that the moon's synodic period is 29.5 days, while a Gregorian month usually lasts 30 or 31 days. Therefore, it is normal to have two full moons in a month, approximately every two to three years; There is also a saying that the second full moon that appears in a Gregorian month is called the "blue moon".
Multiple planets will have close contact with the moon in August. On the 3rd, Saturn will merge into the moon. Around 21:00, the southeast lower position is the large and round moon, with Saturn above. Wang Yumin introduced that although the moonlight is bright, people can still see Saturn with the naked eye. At 17:44 on the 8th, Jupiter will merge with the moon, but the moon and Jupiter will not rise until around 23:00, and by then, the gap between them has become larger. On the evening of the 21st, the month of Kagoshima will be held. After sunset, a 4.6 day old crescent moth will shine in the low southwest sky, with a bright star in the southern constellation of Virgo. On the 19th, Mars merged into the moon. Around 19:00, observers looked due west and saw the 2.7 day old crescent in the low altitude. Mars was located 4 degrees below its right. Wang Yumin suggested that observers use binoculars to see it more easily.
