OBSERVING Sky at a Glance Using the Map orth CAMEL OPARD _ EU S c Fa a ALIS g in the south-southwest sky about an hour after sunset for the telescopic double star Beta (β) Scorpii. Left or upper left of Beta is another fine double, Nu (ν) Scorpii. High power in good seeing reveals Nu as the Southern Double-Double. RS DUSK: All month, look about 5° left of Saturn in PE 1 3h Go out within an hour of a time listed to the right. Turn the map around so the yellow label for the direction you're facing is at the bottom. That's the horizon. Above it are the constellations in front of you. The center of the map is overhead. Ignore the parts of the map above horizons you're not facing. AUGUST 2015 IO b PE a IA _ ` M S b ¡ _ f + 61 b ¡ b _ UI LA e 70 R O S 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 SE 21h o c m M22 S A G IT T ¡ Double star CORO N AUSTR A ALIS 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Open cluster 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Globular cluster 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Diffuse nebula Planetary nebula 31 + M 2 Galaxy Variable star 30 g M17 M25 U S AT FR I THU N WED in TUE MON R Full August 29 2:35 p.m. EDT M16 Aug 2n 6 E C L I P T I C IC First Qtr August 22 3:31 p.m. EDT 2 ` M11 S C U T U M Moo P New August 14 10:53 a.m. EDT c Fa Last Qtr August 6 10:03 p.m. EDT _ LYRA SW Moon Phases S UN _ A S M57 c SE R (CA PEN UD A C Saturn ` Albireo NUS PHI a a DEL d b Visible through August 5 30 W M Jupiter Vega R ¡ Northern ` LA r Cross CU d LPE Deneb _ VU TA M29 a IT C Y G N U S M27 S A G M39 a E EU TA US Visible starting August 5 ` 52 ER ULE Mars ` ` E air S Visible starting August 22 IU AR Venus Alt AQ M2 U Hidden in the Sun's glare all month Mercury M15 EQU SUNRISE ▶ PH LAC d MIDNIGHT _ ◀ SUNSET AQ SHOWN FOR LATITUDE 40° NORTH AT MID-MONTH e n oo 9 M ug 2 A Planet Visibility ¡ sunrise, where Venus is now about 10° above the horizon. + DAWN: Look due east about a half hour before c 29 ` from Saturn, just above and right of Beta Scorpii. PEGASUS DUSK: The first-quarter Moon shines less than 4° _ 22 Great Square of Pegasus h of the thin crescent Moon, very low in the west. PISCES 0 Facing East DUSK: Binoculars show Mercury about 6° right CE A LATE NIGHT TO DAWN: The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight; a waning crescent Moon makes for ideal viewing conditions this year. This is a long-lasting shower, so it's worth observing on the preceding and following nights as well; see page 48. 16 a ED _ 12-13 Polaris D RO M low in the east-southeast about 20 minutes before sunrise for the heliacal rising (first dawn visibility) of Sirius as it emerges from the Sun's glare. SS AN DAWN: On this or the next few mornings, look M3 1 11 ` planet rises in the east-northeast. Find it approximately 8° below Pollux as the sky brightens. ¡ le ub er Do lust C DAWN: Look for the orange glint of Mars as the CA EXACT FOR LATITUDE 40º NORTH. forms a triangle with the Pleiades and Aldebaran in Taurus. E MORNING: The Moon, just past last quarter, a N 8 A R IU S -40$ 1 Facing