Mars at Superior Conjunction

Mars during the 2005 opposition
Mars during the 2005 opposition

Today mars is passing through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from our earthbound point of view.

Mars will reappear in the dawn around the end of September, a star like object low on the horizon, just above the glow of sunrise.

Mars will spend the remainder of 2019 and much of 2020 in the dawn sky, reaching opposition on Oct 13th, 2020.

Venus at Superior Conjunction

Crescent Venus
Venus approaching inferior conjunction, 24Dec2013

Today Venus is passing through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from our earthbound point of view.

Venus will reappear in the sunset in mid-September, a brilliant star like object low on the horizon, just above the glow of sunset.

When Venus does reappear we can expect a few UFO reports by people unfamiliar with the normal workings of our skies. In late 2018, when it last emerged in the dawn we had a few such reports here on the island, including a very nice video and folks who could not accept the fact that the “strange light” was simply a bright planet.

Venus will spend the remainder of 2019 in the evening sky, reaching maximum elongation on March 24th, 2020.

Mercury at Maximum Elongation

Mercury, Venus and Jupiter
An evening conjunction of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter on 30 May, 2013

Today Mercury is passing through maximum elongation, the furthest it will rise above the rising Sun in the dawn sky. After today the planet will slide back into the Sun’s glare headed for superior conjunction on September 3rd.

This is a modest apparition, with the planet only 19° from the Sun.

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Perseid Meteor Shower

Over the next week the Perseid meteor shower will peak. As the most reliable shower each year this is also the most viewed meteor shower. Plentiful shooting stars combined with warm summer evenings makes this shower the easiest and most comfortable to view across much of the northern hemisphere. Quite a difference from the other reliable showers such as the Leonids and Quadrantids, that occur in November and January. Consider a warm summer night under a dark sky full of stars, a picnic blanket, relaxing while shooting stars streak across the sky. What could be better?

Leonids in Orion
A pair of Leonid meteors streak through Orion

The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a stream of debris along the orbit of Comet Swift-Tuttle. This shower has been consistent throughout recorded history, mentioned in Chinese, Japanese and Korean records as early as the 1st century. Active from July 17th to August 24th, the shower will build slowly for weeks before the peak. A week before or after peak the shower can still be seen with around 20 meteors each hour. The shower is a northern hemisphere event, for southern observers the radiant never rises above the horizon.

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Mercury at Inferior Conjunction

Today Mercury is passing through inferior conjunction, passing between the Sun and the Earth. This fast moving planet will reappear above the dawn in about a week, rising towards maximum elongation on August 9th.

This is a modest apparition, with the planet reaching only 19° away from the Sun.

Mercury Events for 2019
ApparitionDate ElongationMagnitude
Evening Feb 2718.1°E -0.2
Morning Apr 1127.7°W +0.6
Evening Jun 2325.2°E +0.7
Morning Aug 919.0°W +0.3
Evening Oct 2024.6°E +0.1
Morning Nov 2820.1°W -0.3
Data from the Mercury Chaser’s Calculator by John Walker

Full Moon

Full Moon
Full Moon taken 27Aug2007

Full Moon will occur today at 11:38HST.

This evening look for the Moon rising in the east just as the Sun sets in the west. Across the Big Island this can often lead to moonbows as the low elevation moonlight interacts with fog and clouds.

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, India, and Africa. None of this eclipse will be visible here in the islands.

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The Moon and Saturn

This evening, July 15th, the Moon will pass quite close to Saturn. For viewers in the islands the pair will be closest as it grows dark, slowly separating as the night advances.

Saturn
Saturn on April 15th, 2016

At sunset the two will be separated by about 40 arcminutes. Keep in mind that is a center to center distance, considering the size of the moon this puts the planet about 25 arcminutes from the limb of the Moon, close enough to appear in the field of a medium power eyepiece in most amateur telescopes.

Viewers in the South Pacific and Australia will be able to view an occultation of Saturn by the Moon this evening.

As the Moon is also quite close to full it will be rising at sunset, thus a good eastern horizon is desirable to see this event early in the evening. Look for a bright, slightly yellowish star-like object just north of the Moon as it rises.