moments and conditions of visibility of phenomena are given for Novokuznetsk, local time (UT+7)

Planets in August

Mercury(0 .0 m) - in early August, it is briefly accessible for observation after sunset low above the western horizon.
Venus(–3.8 m) - briefly visible after sunset low above the western horizon.
Mars(–0.5 m) – visible in the evening in the constellation Scorpio.
Jupiter(–1.5 m) – visible in the evening above the western horizon.
Saturn(0.4 m) – visible until midnight in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Uranus(5.8 m) - available for observation after midnight in the constellation Pisces.
Neptune(7.9 m) – available for observation in the evening in the constellation Aquarius.

Meteor showers in August

Southern δ-Aquarids. Activity begins on July 12, ends on August 19. Maximum activity occurs on July 28 (zenith hour number - 20). Avg. speed – 41 km/s. Radiant coordinates: α = 22 h.7; δ = –16° (nearest bright stars– δ Aquarius).

Perseids. Activity begins on July 17, ends on August 24. Maximum activity occurs on August 12 (zenith hour number - 140). Avg. speed – 59 km/s. Radiant coordinates: α = 03 h,1; δ = +58° (the nearest bright stars are α Persei, γ Persei).

August 28 V 05h 46m there will be a close conjunction of Venus and Jupiter with separation~ 5' . The angular dimensions of the planetary disks will beeleven" And 31″ , and shine - –3.8 m And – 1.5 m respectively. Unfortunately, for the Kuzbass observer in specified time the planets will be below the horizon, so observations can be made in the morning, after the pair rises above the horizon. In particular, to 10 h in the morning the pair will reach heights 13° and will be divided~12' . For observations you will need optical instruments(binoculars, spotting scope or telescope) and the skills to find planets during the day.

What astronomical phenomena will the coming 2016 give us?
Surely it will provide plenty of food for astrologers: of course - not only is it a leap year, but on February 29th there is a conjunction with the Sun of the most distant official planet of the solar system - Neputna...
And also Saturn, which all year not only moves through the “non-zodiacal” constellation Ophiuchus (creepy :-)), but also reaches the maximum opening of its ring! But seriously, at least one noticeable and rare astronomical event awaits us - the passage of Mercury across the disk of the Sun on the weekend of May 9! But first things first: Eclipses:
We're simply out of luck with eclipses in 2016. Unlike the previous year, there will be five eclipses this coming year: two solar(09 March and 01 September) and three lunar(March 23, August 18 and September 16).
It’s worth noting right away that all lunar eclipses will be only penumbral, so there are no special hopes for spectacular photographs in 2016... Just like with solar eclipses - both (except for very small phases of the first one actually Far East) are inaccessible for observations from the territory of Russia:

Solar eclipses:

First solar eclipse March 9th will be full, with a maximum phase of 1.045 and a duration of up to 04m09s. The central band of the eclipse will pass through Oceania, the border visibility zones will cover the north of Australia and the Far East, only touching the territory of Russia. So in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk the maximum phase will approach only 0.07, while in Vladivostok it will not even reach 0.04 - see Figure 1.
The second solar eclipse on September 1 will be annular, with a maximum phase of 0.974 and a duration of up to 03m06s. And its central strip will pass through the African continent ( A good reason go to Madagascar;-)... - see Figure 2.

Lunar eclipses:
First Lunar Eclipse March 23 will be penumbral and last from 09:38 to 13:56 UT. During the eclipse, the Moon will pass north of the earth's shadow - see Fig. 3.

The Moon will next plunge into Earth's penumbra August 18, but in essence it will be practically touching - the Moon will pass through the outermost parts of the penumbra from 09:30 to 09:56 UT. So absolutely no changes in the appearance of the Moon are even expected. It is interesting that on many astrosites this eclipse is not even mentioned - Fig. 4...
And finally third moon eclipse year - September 16. Again only penumbral, but this time fully accessible for observation from Russia - Fig. 5.
In these diagrams, everything is “the other way around” - the dark gray areas are where the Sun shines. And white and light gray are the visibility zones of the eclipse.

Favorites astronomical events month: Moscow time.

August 1st and all month— there is still a possibility of noctilucent clouds appearing on twilight sky middle latitudes,
August 2- new moon,
August 3rd— lunar coverage of the planet Mercury with visibility at South America,
5th of August— Venus passes a degree north of Regulus,
August 6— lunar occultation of the planet Jupiter during daytime visibility in Indonesia and Australia,
10th of August— Moon in first quarter phase,
12th of August— maximum action of the Perseid meteor shower with an hourly number of meteors up to 150 (possibly up to 500!!),
August 13— Saturn in station with the transition from retrograde to direct movement,
August 16- long-period variable star R Draco near maximum brightness (6.5m),
August 16— Mercury reaches eastern (evening) elongation of 27 degrees,
August 17— the Kappa Cygnids meteor shower from the constellation Cygnus reaches its maximum activity (3 meteors per hour),
August 18- full moon,
August 18- penumbral lunar eclipse,
August 18— long-period variable star V Monoceros near maximum brightness (6m),
August 19— lunar coverage of the planet Neptune with visibility in the Far East and in North America,
August 22— Mercury passes 4 degrees south of Jupiter,
24 August— Mars passes 4 degrees south of Saturn and 2 degrees north of Antares,
24 August— long-period variable star S Northern Corona near maximum brightness (6m),
25-th of August— Moon in last quarter phase,
25-th of August— the Moon covering the star Aldebaran from the constellation Taurus with visibility in North America and Oceania,
August 27— approach of Venus and Jupiter up to 4 arc minutes,
August 29— Mercury passes 5 degrees south of Venus,
August 30— Mercury in station with transition from direct movement back down
August 31— the Aurigid meteor shower from the constellation Auriga reaches its maximum

Sun moves through the constellation Cancer until August 10, and then moves into the constellation Leo and remains there until the end of the month. Declension daylight, compared to the first two summer months is decreasing faster every day. As a result, the length of the day also decreases rapidly: from 15 hours 59 minutes at the beginning of the month to 13 hours 52 minutes by the end of the described period (more than two hours). This data is correct for the latitude of Moscow , where the midday altitude of the Sun will decrease from 52 to 42 degrees over the month. For solar observations, August is one of the most favorable months in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. Observations of spots and other formations on the surface of the daylight can be carried out through a telescope or binoculars and even with the naked eye (if the spots are large enough). But we must remember that a visual study of the Sun through a telescope or other optical instruments must be carried out (!!) using a solar filter (recommendations for observing the Sun are available in the Nebosvod magazine http://astronet.ru/db/msg/1222232).

The moon will begin to move across the August sky at phase 0.02 in the constellation Gemini, and on the same day it will move to the constellation Cancer. Here on August 2 it will enter the new moon phase, moving into the evening sky. On August 3, the new month will enter the domain of the constellation Leo, and on August 4 August will pass south of Regulus, Venus and Mercury (occultation visible in South America) at a phase of about 0.05. By the end of the day on August 5, the Moon's phase will increase to 0.1 and it will reach the constellation Virgo, after passing through a conjunction with Jupiter (the occultation visible in Indonesia). August 8 growing sickle at phase 0.3 will pass to the north Spica, and on August 9 it will leave the constellation Virgo and move to the constellation Libra, where it will remain until August 11, taking on the first quarter phase here on August 10. On August 12, the lunar oval will visit the constellation Scorpio, passing north of Mars, and on the same day it will move to the constellation Ophiuchus, where it will approach Saturn at a phase of 0.75. On August 13, the Moon will move to the constellation Sagittarius, where it will remain until August 16, increasing its phase to 0.95. On August 18, in the constellation Capricorn, the Moon will enter the full moon phase, during which a penumbral lunar eclipse with a minimum phase will occur, visible in the Far East of the country. On the same day, the bright lunar disk will move to the constellation Capricorn, where on August 19 it will cover Neptune when visible in the eastern regions of the country and on the North American continent. The next day, the Moon will cross the border with the constellation Pisces and rush to Uranus, with which it will approach on August 22, being at perigee at a phase of about 0.8. Having entered the constellation Cetus on August 23, the Moon on the same day will move into the constellation Aries, but will not stay there for long. Already on August 24, the lunar oval will move to the constellation Taurus, where it will enter the last quarter phase on August 25. On this day, the lunar half-disk will once again cover the star Aldebraran with visibility in America and Oceania. Continuing its path across the morning sky, the crescent moon will reduce its phase to 0.3 on August 27, when it reaches the constellation Orion, moving into the constellation Gemini on the same day. Having reduced the phase to 0.1, the Moon will reach the constellation Cancer on August 29 and will remain there almost until the end of the day on August 30, then moving to the constellation Leo. Here, the thinnest crescent moon will approach Regulus for the second time in a month and will complete its path across the summer sky almost in the new moon phase.

Bbig planets solar system
Mercury moves in the same direction with the Sun through the constellation Leo until August 20, and then moves into the constellation Virgo . On August 4, the planet will be covered by the Moon when visible in South America. In the middle (and even more so in the northern) latitudes, Mercury is not visible for the entire month, although on August 16 its elongation will reach 27 degrees. However, daytime telescope observations of Mercury remain available. The apparent diameter of the fast planet increases from 6 to 9.6 arcseconds over the course of a month with a decreasing brightness from -0.2m to +1.3m. The phase changes from 0.75 to 0.21, i.e. Mercury gradually turns from an oval into a half-disc, and then into a crescent. In May, Mercury passed across the disk of the Sun, and the next transit will take place on November 11, 2019.

Venus moves in the same direction with the Sun through the constellation Leo, and on August 24 it moves to the constellation Virgo, where it will spend the rest of the period described. Evening Star gradually increases the angular distance east of the Sun, and by the end of the month the elongation of Venus will reach 23.5 degrees. The planet is visible in the evening sky, but it is difficult to observe it in mid-latitudes due to its low position above the horizon. Venus's apparent diameter is about 11 and its phase is close to 0.9 with a magnitude of about -3.9m.

Mars moves in the same direction with the Sun through the constellation Libra until August 2, then moving into the constellation Scorpio until August 21, when it moves to the constellation Ophiuchus, where it will remain until August 25, again entering the domain of the constellation Scorpio. The planet is observed in the evening and at night above the southern horizon. The planet's brightness decreases from -0.7m to -0.2m and its apparent diameter decreases from 13.0 to 10.5. Mars is gradually moving away from Earth, and the next opportunity to see the planet near opposition will only appear in two years. Details on the surface of the planet can be visually observed using an instrument with a lens diameter of 60 mm, and, in addition, photographically with subsequent processing on a computer.

Jupiter moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellation Leo until August 8, and then moves into the constellation Virgo. Gas giant It is observed against the background of the evening dawn until the middle of the month, and then disappears in the rays of the setting Sun. Angular diameter itself big planet The solar system decreases from 32.2 to 30.8 with a magnitude of about -1.8m. The planet's disk is visible even with binoculars, and with a small telescope, stripes and other details are visible on the surface, but conditions for such observations in August are far from favorable. Four large satellite are already visible through binoculars, and with a telescope in good visibility conditions you can observe the shadows of the satellites on the planet’s disk. Information about satellite configurations is in this CN.

Saturn moves backward through the constellation Ophiuchus, changing its movement to direct on August 13. The ringed planet can be observed almost all night above the southern horizon. The planet's brightness is about 0m with an apparent diameter of about 18. With a small telescope you can observe the ring and the Titan satellite, as well as some other brighter satellites. Visible dimensions The planet's rings average 40x16 with an inclination of 26 degrees to the observer.

Uranus(5.9m, 3.4.) moves backward through the constellation Pisces (near the star zeta Psc with a magnitude of 5.2m). The planet is visible in the night and morning sky, and the duration of visibility will reach 8 hours by the end of the month. Uranus, rotating on its side, is easily detected with the help of binoculars and search maps, and a telescope of 80 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 80 times and a transparent sky will help you to see the disk of Uranus. The planet can be seen with the naked eye during new moon periods in a dark, clear sky, but such an opportunity for middle and northern latitudes will only present itself in autumn and winter in deep, dark skies. The satellites of Uranus have a brightness less than 13m.

Neptune(7.9m, 2.3) moves backward along the constellation Aquarius near the star lambda Aqr (3.7m). The planet is visible in the night and morning sky, and by the end of the described period its duration of visibility will exceed 8 hours. To search for the planet you will need binoculars and star maps astronomical calendar for 2016, and the disk is visible in a telescope of 100 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 100 times (with a clear sky). Neptune can be captured photographically with the simplest camera (even a stationary one) with a shutter speed of 10 seconds or more. Neptune's moons have a brightness of less than 13m.

From comets, visible in August from the territory of our country, at least two comets will have a calculated brightness of about 12m and brighter: P/Tempel (9P) and P/Wild (81P). Comet P/Tempel (9P) is slowly moving through the constellation Virgo and Libra. The comet's brightness remains at 12m. Sky Wanderer P/Wild (81P) moves through the constellations Leo and Virgo, maintaining a brightness of about 11m, but sinking further and further south. Conditions for observing these comets in the mid-latitudes of the country are far from favorable. Details of other comets of the month (with maps and brightness forecasts) are available at http://aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html, and observational results are available at http://cometbase.net/.

Among the asteroids the brightest in August will be Vesta (8.4m) and Ceres (8.4m). Vesta moves through the constellation Orion and Gemini, and Ceres moves through the constellation Cetus. In total, seven asteroids will exceed 10m in magnitude in August. Maps of the paths of these and other asteroids (comets) are given in the appendix to the KN (file mapkn082016.pdf). Information on asteroid occultations of stars at http://asteroidoccultation.com/IndexAll.htm.

Of the relatively bright long-period variable stars (observed from the territory of Russia and the CIS) the maximum brightness this month according to AAVSO data was reached: U CYG (7.2m) on August 1, RU CYG (8.0m) on August 3, Z DEL (8.8m) on August 3, W PEG (8.2m) August 6, S UMI (8.4m) August 8, T CEN (5.5m) August 9, S GEM (9.0m) August 13, R DRA (7.6m) August 16, R COM (8.5m) August 16, SV AND (8.7m) August 17, X AQR (8.3m) August 17, V MON (7.0m) August 18, R VUL (8.1m) August 20, V VIR (8.9m) August 21, RR AQL (9.0m) August 22, S CRB (7.3m) August 24, X DEL (9.0m) August 29, V CNC (7.9m) August 29. More information at http://www.aavso.org/.

Other information - in AK_2016 - http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/1334887

Clear skies and successful observations!

From August to September 2016, all 5 planets visible to the naked eye will line up in the evening sky. On some evenings, they will be joined by the young Moon, complementing the majestic picture of the parade of planets with the radiance of a thin crescent. Let me remind you that a parade of planets is now called not the alignment of planets in one line in orbits around the Sun - this, alas, does not happen, but - to some extent the close position of the planets in some one area of ​​​​the sky on one side of the daylight.

Unfortunately, observing the summer-autumn parade of planets in 2016 in Russia is unlikely to be possible - in the fall, the ecliptic will creep low along the horizon in the evening and the planets will set almost together with the Sun or shortly after sunset during daylight hours. But in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth this spectacle will be enchanting. And there are even photographs from Chile - what it looks like now.

Even in the southern hemisphere, to successfully observe all the planets at once, you will need to choose a place with the most open view western region sky.

Throughout the month of August, three planets - Mercury, Venus and Jupiter - will stay relatively close to each other, gradually drawing closer together, so that by the end of the period of joint visibility they will practically merge in the sky for the eye - enter into a close conjunction. This will happen on August 28, 2016 (in the Western Hemisphere - Chile, Argentina,... - it will still be August 27):

Jupiter and Venus will be so close that Venus will be closer to Jupiter than some of its moons. And even the most eagle-eyed people will not be able to see them separately during maximum approach - it will be one gigantic luminary with a brightness of -5 magnitude.

A few days later - September 3 and 4, 2016 (September 2 and 3, respectively, for residents Western Hemisphere) this trinity will be visited by the Moon. How it will look, see the illustrations below:

Pictures are clickable and enlarged

But already in next days Mercury and Jupiter will disappear with the rays of the evening dawn and only three planets will remain available for observation - Venus, Mars and Saturn. Their community will be complemented by beautiful bright stars - blue Spica (alpha Virgo) and orange-red Antares (alpha Scorpio).

In September, Mars and Saturn, who had previously been paired, will begin to diverge more and more in the sky. And Venus will have to catch up with each of the planets in turn.

But the first meeting will still take place with Spica on the eve of the autumn equinox; these two luminaries will be separated by less than 3 degrees.

On October 4, 2016, the crescent of the young Moon will again appear next to Venus. Both luminaries will be located in the constellation Libra, while Saturn will slowly move through the constellation Scorpio, and the noticeably more agile Mars will move through the constellation Sagittarius.

Next, the Moon will visit each of the remaining evening planets in turn: Saturn (together with Antares) - October 6-7 (October 5-6 - for residents of the Western Hemisphere); Mars - October 8-9 (October 7-8, 2016 - for residents of the Western Hemisphere).

Moon transit near Saturn and Antares on October 6-7, 2016

Moon transit near Mars October 8-9, 2016

It is worth noting that even a day earlier - on October 7 - Mars itself will pass very close to a rather bright star - Lambda Sagittarius "Caus Borealis". This double star, although talk about physical connection There is no evidence yet for a bright component with a faint 10th magnitude star.

At maximum approach angular distance between Mars and Lambda Sagittarius will be about 12 arc minutes, which corresponds to the distance between Alcor and Mizar, the double star in the handle of the bucket Ursa Major, according to which the ancient Arabs tested the vision of their warriors. It may seem to some that Mars and “Caus Borealis” have merged into one.

On October 18, 2016, Venus will enter the constellation Scorpio. Saturn will have left him by then. But the three luminaries - Venus, Saturn and Antares - will appear separately in the sky from about this day.

On October 28, 2016 (October 27 for residents of the Western Hemisphere), Venus will “slip” between Antares and Saturn. This spectacle will be worthy of the entire past parade of planets.

Venus will be able to catch up with the planet Mars only in the first days of the next year - 2017 - against the backdrop of a flaming evening dawn, in which both planets will already be lost. The evening visibility of Venus in the southern hemisphere of our planet will come to an end. And in our northern hemisphere, excellent conditions for observing the “evening star” will finally arrive. But this is a topic for a separate article, which will certainly be devoted to the visibility conditions of Venus in middle lane Russia in 2016-2017.

Thank you very much for

There is probably no person on our planet who does not like star showers. Sometimes they are so beautiful that they simply fascinate with their beauty. Exactly this astronomical phenomenon awaits us in August.

2016, like any other, has a constant schedule of meteor showers, since our planet follows the same cosmic route every year. In addition to planets, in space there are great amount celestial bodies, among which asteroids can be distinguished. The passage of our planet through the asteroid belts is no less important for astrological forecasts and horoscopes than the state of the stars. It is important to take into account the energy of an astronomical event, and not its physical meaning.

Perseids starfall in 2016

In mid-August, our planet always passes through the Perseid meteor shower. It is quite powerful, as more than 60 meteors burn up in the Earth's atmosphere almost every year during periods of peak activity. The stream was named after the constellation Perseus, from which they appear cosmic particles. By the way, these particles are the product of a comet, which moves in its own special orbit, leaving us “messages”. The comet itself flies near our planet only once every 135 years. These particles are made up of ice and dust. Their speed is phenomenal - up to 200 thousand kilometers per second. This affects visibility in a positive way, since pieces of a comet entering the Earth's atmosphere cause powerful flares.

In general, the Earth usually enters the Perseids by the 20th of July, and exits by the 23rd or 25th of August. The peak of activity usually occurs on August 12-13. In 2016, people will be able to see the first shooting stars from July 18th. On August 12, 2016, the shower will reach 100 meteors per hour, which is significant compared to other known star showers. Almost two “stars” per minute are enough to enjoy the show. Naturally, this requires clear skies and distance from the city, because even 10 km from the city visibility is much better.

Meteor showers, as usual, will be observed for the longest time in northern latitudes. There the visibility is better and the sky is clearer. We are lucky that we are in the northern hemisphere, since the Perseids are almost invisible in the southern hemisphere.

Astrological forecasts for star shower

The Perseids are the first meteor shower discovered to be the product of a comet. It is also one of the first meteorite showers discovered by astronomers And Chinese sages as early as the beginning of the first century AD.

In ancient times, people had a great desire to explain everything that was happening around them, and they turned, first of all, to the stars and space. It was then that the first major astrological teachings arose, telling us that any meteor shower is incredibly important for making astrological forecasts. It was customary to perform rituals on the waning moon during starfalls.

The Perseids, like other meteor showers associated with the activity of comets, carry warnings for all Zodiac Signs and people in general. The fact is that astrologers have never associated comets with anything positive. They always bring us uncertainty and make us impulsive. The same applies to the meteor showers they cause. That's why from the end of July to the end of August 2016, each of us will be a little sharper than usual. In moments most active On August 12-13, 2016, people may experience strange sensations of the presence of a UFO. The flashes, which will appear on average twice a minute, are not associated with aliens, although many eyewitnesses claim to have seen alien ships in the air. This happened in 1992, 1993 and 1997. During these years, the Perseids were very active, so many are skeptical about people's opinions about aliens visiting Earth.

Clairvoyants and psychics say that meteor showers are a time when you can create protective talismans against the evil eye, curses and bad luck. Bright flashes drive away evil spirits. This is the time when even at night evil hides from our eyes. During such periods, folk healers cleanse themselves of negative energy, performing rituals of cleansing from the evil eye, from ancestral negative programs and curses. In terms of energy, such periods are very strong - you can feel the power of the Universe, which gives us time to correct our mistakes.

Many also predict the future during the Perseids and other similar astrological events. In 2016 best time for fortune telling for the future there will be a period from August 5 to 12. Try to predict future events by looking behind the curtain before the play begins. We wish you good luck and beautiful star rain. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

01.08.2016 07:00

Mercury rules the environment. This planet has a number of features that anyone interested in...