Zodiacal light in the early morning twilight

The moon begins this month at the new phase, which is also the beginning of the eclipse season. This new moon is right in front of the sun, but far enough away from us that it doesn’t completely cover the sun’s disk, making this an annular solar eclipse, viewable onlyfrom the southern part of Africa.

A couple of days into the month, though, Jupiter is occulted by the moon. For Canadian viewers, it’s a close conjunction. Then, less than a day later, Venus is occulted for eastern Asia, another close encounter here. Aug. 15, Neptune is within 1.2 degrees, an occultation for eastern Europe. The moon is full Aug. 16. Aug. 21 sees Aldebaran again up close to our satellite, another Eastern Hemisphere occultation. By Aug. 27, Regulus and the moon share the sky in Leo, the Lion. Aug. 29 sees Mercury less than a degree away from the moon, one more occultation in the extreme south.

Mercury moves around the sun in rapid motion. Expect to see the speedy planet every 88 days in the morning sky and then in the evening twilight. This is the best morning apparition for northern observers.

Venus continues to shine brightly in the western evening sky. Watch for a close conjunction of the moon Aug. 3.

Mars becomes visible in the east after sunset and sets in mid-evening.

Jupiter is rapidly closing in on the sun and vanishes in the evening twilight early on. Remember it is the Earth that moves relatively quickly in its orbit, making the other planets appear to move backward in their orbit. Early astronomers had a difficult time figuring this out.

Saturn appears after sunset in the south, setting low in the southwest.

Uranus rises in mid-evening, setting at sunrise.

Neptune is visible all night, but only through a telescope. Consider that it is four light-years from Earth — a very long way away!

Look for the zodiacal light in the early morning twilight, a giant triangle in the sky, backlit dust in orbit around the sun.

— James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now the Society’s president, assistant editor and a contributor to the renowned Observer’s Handbook, and production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal. He was given the RASC Service Award at the 2012 General Assembly in Edmonton.