August 2010

 

Mercury becomes visible low to the West after Sunset early in the month.  Look for Mercury on August 3 lower in the sky and to the North of the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn.  This will make August 3 an exceptional night to view these four planets immediately after Sunset.

Venus begins to sink lower and lower along the Western horizon as the month progresses but it will still be the brightest object visible in the Western sky after Sunset.  Look for a nice close grouping (a conjunction) of the planets Venus, Saturn and Mars on the evenings of August 3 to 31.

 Mars is located in the West-Southwest sky after Sunset.  Look for a grouping of Mars, Saturn and Venus within the constellation of Virgo all month.

Jupiter rises around 10:00 p.m. local time to the East and then is visible all night long moving toward the West as the night progresses.  As the Sun begins to rise, Jupiter can be seen about 45 degrees above the Southern horizon.  Jupiter is located in the constellation of Pisces for the month.  Look for Jupiter below the Moon on the night of August 27.

Saturn is found low in the West-Southwest sky after Sunset along with Mars and Venus.

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