ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS

2006 August

Computed for Los Angeles, California

Time
Date (PST/PDT) Event
---------- ----------- -----------------------------

AUG 2 01:46 First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight

AUG 6 17:32 Mercury Western Elongation
Elusive Mercury attains its greatest angular separation from the Sun
and is visible low in the east at dawn.

AUG 7 04:54 Saturn Conjunction
Saturn passes behind the Sun and is lost in the Sun's glare.

AUG 9 03:54 Full Moon
Moon rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and is visible all night

AUG 11, 12 00:00-04:40 Perseid Meteor Shower
Observers in dark locations should see several meteors per hour. The
shower is predicted to peak on AUG 12 at 16:00 PDT.

AUG 11-12 --- Conference
AstroImage 2006, Brea, CA. www.ocastronomers.org/astroimage/2006

AUG 15 18:51 Last Quarter Moon
Moon rises at midnight and sets at noon

AUG 19-20 --- Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites

AUG 23 12:10 New Moon
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and is invisible. Moon rises
at sunrise and sets at sunset

AUG 26-27 --- Dark Sky Weekend
Best time this month to observe faint objects. Amateur astronomers may
hold observing sessions at dark sites

AUG 29 18:10 Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 5.1° south of Jupiter. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location

AUG 31 15:57 First Quarter Moon
Moon rises at noon and sets at midnight

AUG 31 18:51 Lunar Conjunction
The Moon passes 0.5° north of Antares. Time of closest approach and
separation computed for the Earth's center and may vary significantly
depending on your location

AUG 31 21:49 Mercury Superior Conjunction
Mercury passes behind the Sun and is lost in the Sun's glare.

==== IN THE SKY THIS WEEK ===

The Full Moon is Wednesday August 9. In the early morning (2:30 am) of
Saturday August 5, people in WA will see the dark side of the Moon go in
front of the bright red star Antares. Mars is above bright Regulus, the
brightest star in Leo, not far above the western horizon after twilight.
Jupiter is the brightest object high in the north-eastern evening sky,
ideally suited for moon-watching through binoculars or small telescopes. In
the dawn sky bright Venus is seen just above the north-eastern horizon with
Mercury just below Venus. Over the week Mercury and Venus draw closer
together, and are very close by the end of the week.

For further information see:

http://home.mira.net/~reynella/skywatch/ssky.htm