July was spent watching all the world’s billionaires race each other to space but in August some of the space highlights are more interstellar.
Stargazers are in for a treat with the epic Perseids meteor shower peaking in August. Plus the two biggest planets in our solar system will be nice and bright in the sky during the month.
Here are all the space events coming up in August.
August’s Space highlights
Perseids Meteor Shower
The Perseids meteor shower is one of the most spectacular stargazing events of the year.
The meteor shower runs all the way through August but will peak around August 12. The nights on either side of this will also bring see particularly active meteors.
According to 7 News the meteors will be present all night but tend to show up in greater numbers closer to midnight.
You won’t need a fancy telescope to see these meteors streaking across the sky, but they will be easier to catch in areas away from major cities with less pollution. Make sure to pack a blanket!
Jupiter and Saturn at Opposition
Saturn and Jupiter will be at opposition onAugust 1 and August 20, respectively.
This means the planets are directly opposite the Sun and also the closest they will be to Earth during its orbit. Think of it as Earth being directly sandwiched between the Sun and these planets.
This is the time to see both Jupiter and Saturn at their brightest in the night sky. They’ll also be in close proximity to each other in the night sky after their epic conjunction earlier this year.
Other space events in August
- August 2 – Saturn at opposition
- August 8 – New moon
- August 10 – SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch more Starlink satellites
- August 11 – the conjunction of the moon and Venus
- August 12 – Perseids meteor shower peak.
- August 19-20 – Jupiter at opposition
- August 22 – Full moon
- August TBC – A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the ISS.
Mark your calendars and we’ll see you for Spacemodo next month!