{"id":35902,"date":"2022-08-22T07:05:51","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T07:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=110847"},"modified":"2022-08-22T07:19:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T07:19:09","slug":"star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Diary: 22 to 28 August 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Ezzy Pearson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 22 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 22nd to 28th August, 2022.<\/p>\n\n

Transcript<\/h1>\n

Chris Bramley <\/strong>Hello and welcome to Star Diary, the podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night magazine. You can subscribe to the print edition of the magazine by visiting www.skyatnightmagazine.com, or to our digital edition by visiting iTunes or Google Play.<\/p>\n

Ezzy <\/strong>Greetings, listeners, and welcome to Star Diary, a weekly guide to the best things to see in the Northern Hemisphere\u2019s Night Sky. In this episode, we\u2019ll be covering the coming week from the 22nd to the 28th of August. I\u2019m Ezzy Pearson, the magazine\u2019s features editor and I\u2019m joined on the podcast today by reviews editor Paul Money. Hello, Paul.<\/p>\n

Paul <\/strong>Hello there. As we look forward to some more events again.<\/p>\n

Ezzy <\/strong>And can you tell us a little bit about what those events might be this week?<\/p>\n

Paul <\/strong>Well, last week, the week we had the opposition of Saturn and we got another opposition! Get excited. Yeah\u2026. sort of it is the minor world 4 Vesta<\/a>. And this happens on August 22nd so the very first on the on the Monday, in actual fact. So, you know, it lies to the left of Saturn. So it\u2019s actually quite convenient having a bright planet not too far away to help guide you to it. And the thing about Vesta is that technically it is actually a naked eye object. This is a minor world, but it\u2019s one of the few that can actually reach naked eye visibility. So it\u2019s actually magnitude 5.6. Now, we say magnitude 6.0 is the general limit. If you\u2019ve got a very dark sky and good eyesight, I have known people see magnitude 7.0 Stars. I\u2019ve got down to nearly magnitude 7.0, but that\u2019s before I have to wear glasses. Now it\u2019s a lot less than that. But so those days, all those days when I could see fainter. But you do need a dark sky to figure out and a good chart, admittedly, to find something like that. But binoculars, it\u2019s easy. I mean, magnitude 5.6 is an easy object in 10\u00d750 or 7\u00d750 binoculars. Indeed. So bear in mind though, it will just look like a star. And William Herschel<\/a> coined the term asteroid, which is how they were first described. Because asteroid means star-like and they are all all of them are star-like. The key that takes you into thinking that it\u2019s actually an object in the Solar System is each motion. It moves because the stars don\u2019t move. That\u2019s why we get planet wandering star. But in this case, these actually move as well. And the only way knowing from night to night for unless you\u2019ve got a really good star chart, you know, and I have to say with Vesta, you should better pick it out. It\u2019s a very bland area of sky, so you shouldn\u2019t have any difficulty identifying Vesta in this particular area. It\u2019s in the southern part of Aquarius, in actual fact. So quite bland, in actual fact. But it\u2019s the motion. So you\u2019ll see moving night after night against the background stars. So it\u2019s always one of those little task. And it\u2019s a nice little project, you know, to have a star chart and a market position night after night showing the motion of Vesta itself. What I say is at its best, it\u2019s at opposition on 27th August, magnitude 5.6. So this is the time. And if you\u2019ve got dark skies, you know, it\u2019s well worth having to go, if you\u2019ve got keen eyesight, to see if you can see it you\u2019re looking towards the southeast roughly about 11:00pm in the evening. So we have got an evening object at the moment sort of thing. It is. And again, like Saturn, once it reaches opposition, it moves into the evening sky. So it will become a lot easier to see. But of course, we then got the opposite effect. It starts to slowly fade, but it will be a binocular object for the vast majority of its time. It\u2019s actually visible, so that\u2019s actually good news. So Vesta is the one to look out for now as its at opposition. Now I do like the minor worlds. They are dots, but following them and ticking them off your list, you know, is great. But we\u2019ve got another one from the 22nd of the 23rd. You have to be up in the early hours of the morning and it\u2019s about 4 a.m. now, August the 22nd, the sky\u2026 There\u2019ll be a hint of twilight just beginning at this stage. But we\u2019re looking for 2 Pallas, the second asteroid to be discovered. Now it\u2019s a challenge. It\u2019s 9.0 magnitude. But the reason why I\u2019m highlighting it is that it\u2019s actually putting directly below the Sword of Orion. Now, that is arguably, along with the Pleiades, one of the most popular targets because you\u2019ve got the Orion Nebula<\/a>. You\u2019ve got the whole sword where you\u2019ve got Iota Orionis to the south, which actually is between the Orion Nebula and Pallas. So that gives you a clue as to where it is. So you\u2019ll be able to watch Pallas. So he\u2019s a good guide because again you\u2019ve got a nice bright deep sky, well known deep sky object that will help you, guide you, to find this fainter small asteroid so well worth having a look at. Yes, you have to be up in the early morning on these low down as well. But because the Sword of Orion is so well known, you should be able to pick it out and again over a couple of nights, watch it. Moving from the right to the left on 22nd to 23rd as it passes below, south of Iota Orionis. and the Sword of Orion. And of course, the sort of variety is great to look at anyway.<\/p>\n

Ezzy <\/strong>I have to confess that Orion is one of my favourite constellations. It\u2019s just\u2026 It\u2019s really easy to see in the night sky. Pretty much everybody knows how to find Orion\u2019s belt, and it\u2019s got a little bit of everything in it. You know, you\u2019ve got different coloured stars from different points in their lifecycles and you\u2019ve got Nebula and all kinds of things going on there. So any opportunity to have an excuse to look at Orion is a good excuse for me.<\/p>\n

Paul <\/strong>There you are. And that\u2019s worth getting up at 4 a.m. in the morning, isn\u2019t it? But it is low down. So again, we have the proviso you do need a good clear rise. And for me, sadly, I have a lot of clutter in that region. So I\u2019ve got a bank. The Hides is from the industrial estate and it\u2019s that area that it will be in. So I won\u2019t be able to see it sort of thing. So ahh, woe is me. Come on, everybody. The sympathy vote, please. No, I didn\u2019t think so. Typical. But we\u2019re not done yet with minor worlds because comets are minor worlds. And we mentioned Comet PAN-STARRS, this is C 2017 K2 Panstarrs earlier this month. Well, on the 22nd, right next to the star Graphius, Beta Scorpii. Again, I mean yeah you handed it on a plate, it\u2019s right next to a very bright star, you know. Again I love Scorpius as well. So Scorpius is one of those constellation is going to be roughly in the solar south southwest and you\u2019re looking now, gosh, it\u2019s been a while since I mentioned this time roughly about 9:30 in the evening. Good grief. Hey, basically tea time, isn\u2019t it? YIt you have late teas, that is. But he\u2019s very easy to find, Beta Scorpio. Omega Scorpio is nearby, a wide naked eye double star as well. But you\u2019ve got this comet, which should be around about 7.0 Magnitude. It\u2019s dropping down. And over the next week to the end of the week, it is heading towards Deschuba. So I think Delta Scorpio won\u2019t reach it until the following week, so it won\u2019t deal with that then. But you\u2019ll be able to watch this motion of this comet as it drops down, because it won\u2019t be too long. In a few weeks time it\u2019ll be gone. Completely. It\u2019ll be too low for us. So grab it now whilst it\u2019s passing a bright star, say on the 22nd, it\u2019s right next to Graphius, Beta Scorpii. So a great guide to being able to find this fuzzy blob. And I have seen pictures with a tail, but I can\u2019t promise you get a tail with binoculars, but certainly photographically you might pick out a tail actually with that. Okay, so back to the morning sky. Yes, there has to be something in the morning sky. On 24th, looking around 3am and 4am. Look for\u2026 I love the crescent moon. I must admit I don\u2019t observe enough in the morning sky, mainly because of my horizon, but well worth having a look at because we\u2019ve got the return of Gemini, the Constellation. And the twins, Castor and Pollux. And the thing about the moon is it\u2019s almost exactly in a line if you take Castor through to Pollux and then straight to the moon. So you\u2019ve got almost a straight line. And I love little things. I mean, I know these little things, sort of thing. Little things Please me, don\u2019t they?Clearly in the sky. But well-worth this. I love line ups sort of thing. You know, it\u2019s got catch in that moment when it\u2019s almost a perfect line up with the Moon, obviously the Moon in the morning\u2026 and that brings us back to our final object for this week in the morning sky around about 25th. And what we\u2019re looking for, we\u2019re back to Venus again. And the Moon gets closer to Venus now on 25th, well above Venus. So you\u2019ve got this thin crescent Moon. Look for Earthshine, as well. It\u2019s not too far away from the Beehive cluster. Which should have improved a little bit now. It\u2019ll move slightly higher up in the sky, so you never know. You might be able to pick out the Moon and the Beehive Cluster, Messier 44<\/a> in binoculars. But Venus is lower towards the horizon. And then on the 26th, the Moon, this really slim crescent Moon is to the left of Venus. Now, Venus itself will have moved down. It is slowly dropping back towards the Sun. But at the moment we\u2019ve got a bit of a nice balancing act. It\u2019s just about keeping right and keeping in the twilight. It will eventually lose that race, of course. So we are. I love that shot. You\u2019ve got this thin, ephemeral, slim crescent moon hanging there with this brilliant star, which we know as Venus, the planet. Absolutely gorgeous, but you need a clear horizon for this sort of thing. Well, we\u2019re having a look out around about east northeast and about 5:00\u2026 we\u2019re talking about 5 a.m. now. So you can tell we\u2019ve had quite a change haven\u2019t we? We\u2019ve been talking about three and four and now we\u2019re into five. Our moon, we\u2019re still able to observe. So you. It shows that the Knights are actually pulling in. Yippee. That\u2019s a nice way of, I think of ending the week, looking in the morning sky and catching the moon next to Venus. So there we are, Ezzy another week done?<\/p>\n

Ezzy <\/strong>And thank you very much for taking your time to talk to us about it. Well, it sounds like there\u2019s a lot of things to be looking out for this week. Hopefully some of our listeners will be able to get out to see some of them, whether it\u2019s Venus next to the crescent Moon or Pallas passing by the end of the Sword of Orion. Hopefully there\u2019s something for everybody. If you want to find out even more spectacular sights that will be gracing the night sky throughout the month. Be sure to pick up a copy of BBC Sky at Night Magazine<\/a>. Well, we have a six page pullout Sky Guide with a full overview of everything worth looking up for. Whether you like to look at the Moon, the planets, or the deep sky, whether you use binoculars, telescopes on neither our Sky Guide has got you covered with the detailed star charts to help you track your way across the night sky. From all of us here at BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Goodbye.<\/p>\n

Chris Bramley <\/strong>Thank you for listening to this episode of Star Diary, our podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine. For more of our podcasts, visit our website at www.skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a> Or head to Acast, iTunes or Spotify.<\/p>\n

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By Ezzy Pearson Published: Monday, 22 August 2022 at 12:00 am What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 22nd to 28th August, 2022. https:\/\/open.acast.com\/public\/streams\/61ba00841a8cbe40143cf08e\/episodes\/62ed1e6ac6adef0012a10304.mp3 Transcript Chris Bramley Hello and welcome to Star Diary, the podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night magazine. You can subscribe to the print edition of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":35903,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"10"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022.jpg",1500,1500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022-768x768.jpg",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022-1024x1024.jpg",800,800,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022.jpg",1500,1500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2022\/08\/star-diary-22-to-28-august-2022.jpg",1500,1500,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Ezzy Pearson Published: Monday, 22 August 2022 at 12:00 am What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 22nd to 28th August, 2022. https:\/\/open.acast.com\/public\/streams\/61ba00841a8cbe40143cf08e\/episodes\/62ed1e6ac6adef0012a10304.mp3 Transcript Chris Bramley Hello and welcome to Star Diary, the podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night magazine. You can subscribe to the print edition of the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/35902"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}