Mercury will reach inferior conjunction on September 3rd. It will be lost in the Sun's glare in the first week of September. During second week, Mercury will be too close to eastern horizon at around 8 degrees at 6am. After 15th the planet Mercury will be little easy to spot if there is a clear horizon. Mercury will reach greatest elongation on 19th September, the angular separation from the Sun will be 18degrees. Mercury will be in the constellation of Leo all month.
Date | Rise |
1st Sep | 06:35:00 AM |
8th Sep | 05:35:00 AM |
15th Sep | 05:02:00 AM |
22nd Sep | 04:59:00 AM |
29th Sep | 05:15:00 AM |
Venus:
Venus will continue to dominate the evening western sky all this month. On 11th September, Venus and crescent Moon will be close to each other at a separation of just 1 degree.
Date | Set |
1st Sep | 08:53:00 PM |
8th Sep | 08:43:00 PM |
15th Sep | 08:31:00 PM |
22nd Sep | 08:16:00 PM |
29th Sep | 07:57:00 PM |
Mars:
The red planet will be in the constellation of Virgo all month. Mars can be spotted in the western sky evening sky 6 degrees north of Venus.
Date | Set |
1st Sep | 08:50:00 PM |
8th Sep | 08:38:00 PM |
15th Sep | 08:26:00 PM |
22nd Sep | 08:15:00 PM |
29th Sep | 08:04:00 PM |
Jupiter:
Jupiter is well placed for observations as it rises early in the evening. The giant planet will the brightest “star” in the region at -2.5 magnitude.
On 19th September, Jupiter and Uranus will be close each other at an angular separation of 48 minutes of arc. An 8 inch f/8 telescope with 32mm eyepiece will show the giant planet and Uranus in single field.
Jupiter will reach opposition on September 21st , this means, the planet Jupiter, Earth and the Sun will be the straight line. As a result, Jupiter will rise as the Sun sets, giving observers chance to study the planet all night.
Date | Rise |
1st Sep | 07:41:39 PM |
8th Sep | 07:11:24 PM |
15th Sep | 06:40:56 PM |
22nd Sep | 06:10:22 PM |
29th Sep | 05:39:48 PM |
Saturn:
Saturn, now low in the western horizon is getting difficult to spot. In the constellation of Virgo, the planet Saturn will be lost in the Sun's glare towards the end of the month.
Date | Set |
1st Sep | 07:58:32 PM |
8th Sep | 07:33:42 PM |
15th Sep | 07:08:56 PM |
22nd Sep | 06:44:14 PM |
29th Sep | 06:19:33 PM |
Uranus:
Uranus can be easily be seen through a 10X50 binoculars. Now its easier as Jupiter can be taken as reference. Pick up the binoculars and point it towards Jupiter and keep the Jupiter at the center of field. Just 1 degrees west to Jupiter you will find 5.7th magnitude Uranus.
Uranus will also reaches opposition on 21st of September, same day as Jupiter.
Date | Rise |
1st Sep | 07:34:44 PM |
8th Sep | 07:06:20 PM |
22nd Sep | 06:09:28 PM |
29th Sep | 05:41:02 PM |
Neptune:
Neptune will be in the constellation of Capricornus in the month of August. Planet Neptune can be found at 4 degrees NE of delta Capricorni. Neptune is at magnitude of 7.8. Neptune will be just 1 degree NE of mu Capricorni
Date | Rise |
1st Sep | 05:44:39 PM |
8th Sep | 05:16:30 PM |
15th Sep | 04:48:22 PM |
22nd Sep | 04:20:17 PM |
29th Sep | 03:52:15 PM |
Pluto:
Pluto still is in the rich star field of constellation Sagittarius at 14th Magnitude.
Phases of Moon:
New moon: 08 Sep 2010
First quarter: 15 Sep 2010
Full moon: 23 Sep 2010
Last quarter: 01 Oct 2010
Sun:
Sun will be in the constellation of Leo till middle of September and move to Virgo.
Equinox:
On 23rd September at approximately 8:40am the Sun reaches RA of 12h and Dec of 0 degress, this is Autumnal Equinox. This point is also called as First point of Libra.
Goode said that the images were achieved with the 1.6 m clear aperture, off-axis New Solar Telescope (NST) at BBSO. The telescope has a resolution covering about 50 miles on the Sun’s surface.
The telescope is the crown jewel of BBSO, the first facility-class solar observatory built in more than a generation in the U.S. The instrument is undergoing commissioning at BBSO. Since 1997, under Goode’s direction, NJIT has owned and operated BBSO, located in a clear mountain lake.
The mountain lake is characterized by sustained atmospheric stability, which is essential for BBSO’s primary interests of measuring and understanding solar complex phenomena utilizing dedicated telescopes and instruments.
The images were taken by the NST with atmospheric distortion corrected by its 97 actuator deformable mirror. By the summer of 2011, in collaboration with the National Solar Observatory, BBSO will have upgraded the current adaptive optics system to one utilizing a 349 actuator deformable mirror.
Summer of 2009, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA and NJIT, the NST began operation. Additional support from NSF was received a few months ago to fund further upgrades to this new optical system.
The NST will be the pathfinder for an even larger ground-based telescope, the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), to be built over the next decade. NJIT is an ATST co-principal investigator on this NSF project. The new grant will allow Goode and partners from the National Solar Observatory (NSO) to develop a new and more sophisticated kind of adaptive optics, known as multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO). The new optical system will allow the researchers to increase the distortion-free field of view to allow for better ways to study these larger and puzzling areas of the Sun. MCAO on the NST will be a pathfinder for the optical system of NSO’s 4-meter aperture ATST coming later in the decade.
Scientists believe magnetic structures, like sunspots hold an important key to understanding space weather. Space weather, which originates in the Sun, can have dire consequences on Earth's climate and environment. A bad storm can disrupt power grids and communication, destroy satellites and even expose airline pilots, crew and passengers to radiation.
The new telescope now feeds a high-order adaptive optics system, which in turn feeds the next generation of technologies for measuring magnetic fields and dynamic events using visible and infrared light. A parallel computer system for real-time image enhancement highlights it.
Goode and BBSO scientists have studied solar magnetic fields for many years. They are expert at combining BBSO ground-based data with satellite data to determine dynamic properties of the solar magnetic fields.
This evening the planet Venus, the bright evening star, reaches Greatest Elongation. That means the angular separation between the Sun and the planet Venus will be at maximum of 46 degrees, as observed from Earth. After this day the angular separation between the Sun and Venus starts decreasing
If observed through telescope, we can notice that Venus one half lit by reflected light from the Sun and the other half in dark. As the days progress, planet Venus will move from Half phase to Crescent phase, making the planet little more brighter.
Seen through the telescope the planet Venus will slowly increase in size, angular diameter, as the days pass. Now its around 24 seconds of arc and the planet will slowly increase to a diameter close to a minute of arc before reaching inferior conjunction in late October.
Venus is well placed for observations in the western evening sky through out this month.
This evening the red planet Mars will be 1° 57' NE of bright Venus.
Hope the skies will be clear...
Planet Mercury will reach greatest elongation of 27 degrees on 7th of August. After reaching greatest elongation, the angular separation between the planet Mercury and the Sun starts decreasing.
Mercury can be seen low in the western horizon as a bright 0.4 magnitude star, just after sunset.
If observed daily, it can be noticed that, just after the sunset the angle between the horizon and the planet Mercury will start decreasing as days go by.
Planet Mercury will remain in the constellation of Leo all this month, and will be lost in the glare of the Sun towards the last week of August.
Mercury setting times:
| Date | Set Time |
| 7th Aug | 8:16pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 8:00pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 7:36pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 6:58pm IST |
Venus:
Planet Venus is the brightest “star” in the evening western sky now, shining close to -4.5 magnitude. Planet Venus is well placed for observation all this month. Venus will reach greatest elongation on August 20th with an angular separation of 46 degrees from the Sun.
On 8th August, Venus and Saturn can be seen close to each other with an angular separation of just 2.6 degrees. Planet Saturn will be north of Venus.
The crescent Moon will be 4 degrees south of Venus on August 13th. Moon, Venus and Saturn will almost be in a straight line, with red planet Mars placed east of Venus on the evening.
On 20th August, Venus and the red planet Mars will be close each other with a separation of 2 degrees.
Venus setting times:
| Date | Set Time |
| 7th Aug | 9:18pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 9:10pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 9:04pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 8:57pm IST |
Mars:
The red planet Mars will be in the constellation of Virgo all this month. Mars can be spotted easily by taking Venus as reference. Mars will be shining at 1.5 magnitude SE of Venus in the beginning of the month. Middle of month Mars will be in east of Venus and towards the end of the month, Mars will be north of Venus.
| Date | Set Time |
| 7th Aug | 9:40pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 9:25pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 9:12pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 9:00pm IST |
Jupiter:
Jupiter is well placed for observations, in the constellation of Pisces rises around 9:15 in the beginning of the month. The Giant planet is easy to find, shining at -2.5 is the brightest star in the eastern sky at around 9:30pm.
| Date | Rise Time |
| 7th Aug | 9:20pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 8:50pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 8:28pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 8:00pm IST |
Saturn:
Saturn spends the month in the constellation of Virgo this month. In the evening western sky locate bright Venus, just 4 degrees east of Venus, the planet Saturn can be found easily. Towards middle of the month, Saturn can be found north of bright Venus. Saturn can be found NW of Venus and Mars towards the end of August.
| Date | Set Time |
| 7th Aug | 9:30pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 9:04pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 8:40pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 8:15pm IST |
Uranus:
Uranus can be found 3 degrees west of Jupiter. A good pair of binoculars will be needed to see the planet Uranus. A good pair of 7X50 or 10X50 binoculars will show Jupiter and Uranus in the same field. Uranus is 5.8magnitude.
| Date | Rise Time |
| 7th Aug | 9:15pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 8:48pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 8:19pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 7:51pm IST |
Neptune:
Neptune will be in the constellation of Capricornus in the month of August. Planet Neptune can be found at 4 degrees NE of delta Capricorni. Neptune is at magnitude of 7.8. On 20th of August, Neptune will be at opposition.
| Date | Rise Time |
| 7th Aug | 7:25pm IST |
| 14th Aug | 6:57pm IST |
| 21st Aug | 6:30pm IST |
| 28th Aug | 6:02pm IST |
Pluto:
Pluto is in the rich star field of constellation Sagittarius at 14th Magnitude.
Moon Phases for the month:
New moon: 10 Aug 2010
First quarter: 16 Aug 2010
Full moon: 24 Aug 2010
Last quarter: 1 Sep 2010
Sun:
Sun will be in the constellation of Cancer during the first week of August and moves to Leo and will stay in the constellation of Leo all this month.
Meteor Shower:
This month its time for Perseids meteor shower. The peak activity will on the nights of 12th and/or 13th night with 50 to 80 meteors per hour. The shower is called Perseids as the meteors originate from the constellation of Perseus and the constellation rises around 12 in the night. As we are in the middle of the monsoon season, its difficult to get clear skies in this month, hope for the best.
Comet Perihelion (Closest to Sun)
Comet Encke will reach perihelion on 6th of August.
