{"id":48667,"date":"2023-08-13T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e3b85c1d-43be-4aa8-8d15-7f1e8043b5c1"},"modified":"2023-08-13T07:32:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T07:32:28","slug":"star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Star Diary: 14 to 20 August, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Sunday, 13 August 2023 at 07:00 AM<\/p>

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Star Diary: 14 to 20 August, 2023<\/h1>
What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 14 to 20 August, 2023 in our weekly stargazing guide. This week\u2019s new moon makes it a great opportunity for some deep-sky observing.<\/p>
\n\n<\/div><\/figure> 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 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\">skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a> or to our digital edition by visiting iTunes or Google Play.<\/p> Ezzy Pearson: <\/strong>Greetings listeners and welcome to Star Diary, a weekly guide to the best things to see in the Northern Hemisphere\u2019s night sky. As we are based here in the UK, all times are in BST. In this episode, we\u2019ll be covering the coming week from 14 to 20 August. I\u2019m Features Editor Ezzy Pearson, and I\u2019m joined this week by Reviews Editor Paul Money. Hello Paul.<\/p> Paul Money:<\/strong> Hello Ezzy. Back to another week, but not many actual events this time, but there\u2019s still lots to look out for, isn\u2019t there?<\/p> Ezzy:<\/strong> Absolutely. So what do we have to look forward to in this week\u2019s night sky?<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>Well, the key is, as new Moon occurs on 16th, so roughly middle of the week \u2013 sort of middle of the week \u2013 this is the first proper dark set of nights after the summer light skies. So deep sky observers and astrophotographers will delight in this week, and we\u2019ll be hoping that we have clear skies. You know, can\u2019t we? We can always hope about this sort of thing. So this is a good time to explore <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/how-to-see-the-milky-way\">the Milky Way<\/a> because it\u2019s straddling the sky. It\u2019s actually going from the northeast roughly right across the sky, and then dropping down towards the south and the south east sort of thing. So it\u2019s a great time to look at the Milky Way. And there are lots to see along the Milky Way. And when we\u2019ve got star clusters, we\u2019ve got nebulae sort of thing, we\u2019ve got things like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/stars\/star-clusters\/globular-clusters\">globular clusters<\/a> as well. We\u2019ve got the dark rift in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/cygnus-constellation\">Cygnus<\/a>, so we\u2019ve got darker. A lot of people tend to forget that you can actually see dark clouds of dust, but the key is to see there\u2019s got to be a background to it. So lots of stars because of the Milky Way, so any dust in front of that will block the light of the stars, so it\u2019ll look darker. This is where we get this gap, naked eye, running through Cygnus, called the Cygnus Rift, and if you look on a really dark night sort of thing, you\u2019ve got no light pollution \u2013 this is another key, no light pollution, then you should see this splitting of the Milky Way, and it\u2019s not splitting, it\u2019s just that there\u2019s this great cloud of dust. So this is a great time to look at these sort of dark clouds, and especially one in Cygnus, because it looks like the Milky Way splits, but it doesn\u2019t. It\u2019s this great cloud of dust that\u2019s sitting in between us and the rest of the galactic disk that gives this impression that it splits, but it\u2019s actually a great cloud of dust. So yes, I always think it\u2019s quite funny saying you can actually see a dark object at night.<br\/><br\/>Ezzy:<\/strong> Yes. I always think it\u2019s, it\u2019s one of those things that\u2026 the thing that makes the Milky Way so interesting is the fact that it does have these bits that you can\u2019t see. And it\u2019s, it makes it sort of into something that\u2019s patchy with lots of interesting features into it rather than just this sort of plain band going across the night sky. And also because, you know, I come from a space science background and like astrophysics, it\u2019s really interesting to see that, you know, there\u2019s this, all this dust in the night sky, as much as that did, causes people a lot of problems when you\u2019re trying to, you know, look in towards the galactic core or into the depths of the Universe, the fact that there\u2019s all these dust clouds getting in your way. It\u2019s very annoying.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>That\u2019s for the professionals.<\/p> Ezzy: <\/strong>It\u2019s very annoying. That\u2019s why you have to go and build a very, like, 10 billion pound\u2026 dollar telescope for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-missions\/james-webb-space-telescope-images\">JWST<\/a> to try and cut through all of the dust.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>And they did a brilliant job, I mean, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/hubble-space-telescope-facts-history\">Hubble<\/a> as well, to be able to peer through the dust because the infrared penetrates it and allows you to see deep into the heart of the, where stars are being born. This is the key. And they didn\u2019t know this in many times, did they? So they didn\u2019t realise stars are being born inside of these dark clouds as well. So they always thought there were things like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/nebulae\/the-orion-nebula-m42\">Orion Nebula<\/a> sort of thing, a bright, gaseous nebula, but you actually need dust as well. In fact, without dust, me and thee wouldn\u2019t be here. And neither would the listeners.<\/p> Ezzy: <\/strong>We are all made of star dust, as I believe Carl Sagan said. It\u2019s also that sort of thing, it\u2019s like inside of those dust clouds there\u2019s, you know, really bright young hot stars bursting into life, they\u2019re just, you know, cocooned away, we can\u2019t see them.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>Or like that term, cocooned away. Yes, I like that. They are, they\u2019re hidden away, but no longer with these telescopes we can peer through them. Now, I\u2019ll say we haven\u2019t got many actual events because we\u2019re often reliant on the Moon. Well, we\u2019ve got one, and that the Moon, although it\u2019s gone through New on 16th, it will creep into the evening sky, it crawls back into the evening sky. Again, the ecliptic is shallow, so it takes its time to emerge, so it\u2019ll be a difficult one. But on 18th, you want to be looking just before 9pm in the evening, so it\u2019s one of those things, again, you\u2019ve got to make sure the Sun has set, but look for a very, very, very thin, very slender crescent Moon. You might get a bit of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/earthshine-moon-what-is-how-see-it\">Earthshine<\/a>, but I think the sky background will be bright, so it makes it quite harder to see, to distinguish between the two, but you should have a little thin crescent. And if you go on just to the left will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/planets\/mars\">Mars<\/a>. But you\u2019ve got to get them before they set, and they\u2019ll set within about 5-10 minutes. So you\u2019ve got to get them quick. So it\u2019s about 30 minutes after sunset on 18th, and after this, really, Mars does become an extremely difficult object, whereas the Moon will gradually move higher up the ecliptic and become easier to view as well. But that\u2019s for next week sort of thing. But this is a chance to actually spot it next to Mars and probably give you the last chance of seeing Mars itself. Now, I mentioned that once twilight is over and this applies all week, the sky is getting darker. Now, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/guide-to-the-planets-saturn\">Saturn <\/a>is over in the southeast. We\u2019re looking at 11 o\u2019clock now and Saturn is well up in the southeast with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/guide-to-the-planets-saturn\">Neptune<\/a> in the east-southeast. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/planets\/jupiter\">Jupiter<\/a> is now rising by 11 o\u2019clock. It\u2019s amazing how quick it catches up with you. You know, lamenting the fact that Jupiter was lost in the bright twilight sort of thing in June, and now suddenly, a month and a half later, it\u2019s back, and in a dark sky, and rising, let\u2019s say, just before 11 o\u2019clock in the evening. So give it a short while later, about half an hour, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/guide-ice-giants-uranus-neptune\">Uranus<\/a> will actually have risen as well. So you\u2019ll have all four gas giant planets to view. And of course, if they\u2019re available to view, they\u2019re available to image as well. You really want them to get higher. And Saturn at the moment will be the best place to view before in actual fact the twilight begins, because it\u2019ll be high up in the south around about 2 AM in the morning. But with it being higher along the ecliptic as well, it\u2019s much better than it was a few years ago when it was languishing down in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/sagittarius-contellation\">Sagittarius <\/a>and very low, and we were looking through a lot of the murk. So we\u2019re beginning to get to the stage whereby we\u2019ve got the planets in a more favourable position to actually photograph and image, and we get some absolutely stunning images sent in from our astrophotographers. You know, it\u2019s just incredible to see the detail on these planets as such. So it\u2019s nice to see them actually coming up. Now the thing about Saturn, and it\u2019s something that a friend\u2019s photograph recently reminded me, the rings are beginning to close up. I forget now when it will be actually edge on, but we can only be two or three years away from that, I would have thought.<\/p> Ezzy: <\/strong>We actually have an article about that in our August issue of Sky Night Magazine which is all about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/astrophoto-tips\/photograph-saturn-rings\">how to photograph Saturn<\/a> before its rings tilt away from view. Next year you will just be able to see the fact that they\u2019re tipped slightly but then I think in 2025 that\u2019s when they\u2019re pretty much going to be edge on. So if you want more details about how to capture them on camera before that happens do pick up the August issue of Sky at Night Magazine.<\/p> Paul:<\/strong> So view it now while you can still see the rings. I can remember the last ring plane crossing and it was like, where\u2019s the rings gone? And for a few weeks you could not see any sign of the rings. Amazingly the Hubble telescope was able to pick out this tiny thin pencil lying across Saturn. Just absolutely gorgeous sort of thing but for us pretty average people with ordinary telescopes, it was like, where\u2019s Saturn\u2019s rings gone?<\/p> Ezzy:<\/strong> We should point out they will be back as soon as the 2025 is over, we\u2019re moving forward, they will start tipping back the other way as our angle relative to Saturn changes and we can see the other side of the rings.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>It\u2019s very easy to forget, isn\u2019t it, that planets, the other planets, quite often some of them have got their own decent actual tilts. If I remember right, Jupiter hardly any tilt at all, it\u2019s about a degree or so, but Saturn is 26 degrees. And that gives it its seasons as well, but it also means we get this varying view. Just think, from Saturn\u2019s point of view, if we had rings, they\u2019d see something similar. They would see the Earth have rings and they would go through a ring plane crossing as well. That would be interesting.<\/p> Ezzy: <\/strong>That would be fun.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>You know what, we\u2019ll have to wait until we\u2019ve got space travel and whatnot. I know it\u2019s a long time in the future. We\u2019ve got a space station in orbit around Titan, and then there\u2019ll be astronomers waiting for the Earth to transit the Sun. That\u2019ll be an event for them.<\/p> Ezzy: <\/strong>Yeah.<\/p> Paul: <\/strong>You know, it\u2019s something we can\u2019t see, of course. We have to wait for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/facts-about-planet-venus\">Venus<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/space-science\/guide-to-the-planets-mercury\">Mercury<\/a>, and we won\u2019t be getting Venus now in our lifetime, sort of thing. But at least Mercury, we\u2019ve got a chance, a few years time, so you know, I\u2019ll look forward to that. Finally, we have got the actual minor planet as well. We haven\u2019t just got the gas giant planets in the morning sky, we have got Vesta. And I always think it\u2019s worth trying, I mean, the weather can play havoc with this project, but capturing the planets\u2026 I always like it for Mars and for the minor planets that are closest to us because they have the most motion against the background sky. So you can take photographs, hopefully on successive nights or say every few days if you\u2019re lucky, and then again layer them to actually show the motion of these objects against the background stars. And Vesta, it will gradually brighten it. It\u2019s a quite decent little minor planet, so you know, well worth following. And it\u2019s up in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/taurus-constellation\">Taurus<\/a>, so it\u2019s very well placed to observe. So, and from now on, of course, Taurus and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/advice\/skills\/orion-constellation-best-targets-observe\">Orion<\/a> region will be getting higher in the sky as well. So, you\u2019ll be able to follow Vesta as it moves against the background stars. So, that\u2019s a long-term project, but we\u2019re having a look at it now, sort of thing, whilst we\u2019ve got a chance for this week.<\/p> Ezzy:<\/strong> So, yes, thank you, Paul, for taking us through everything that we can see in the night sky this week. A few specific events, on the 18th the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/astrophotography\/moon\/crescent-moon-guide\">moon\u2019s crescent<\/a> will just creep into the evening sky alongside Mars. They\u2019ll only be up for a few minutes but hopefully you might be able to grab those before they go. And on the 20th Vesta will also be up in the night sky as well. Throughout the week it\u2019s going to be a new moon or just after the new moon so it\u2019s a great time to look at the deep sky and really take advantage of the dark skies as they return after the summer. So take a look at the Milky Way and all of the various different things you can see along that. And of course, all four gas giants will also be up in the night sky, so take the opportunity to take a look at those, particularly Saturn and its glorious rings, before they tip away for the next couple of years. So thank you very much for taking us through that Paul. It\u2019s a pleasure. And if you want to keep up to date at home with all of the latest stargazing tips and advice please do subscribe to the podcast and we will see you here next week. Goodbye. If you want to find out even more spectacular sights that will be gracing the night sky this month be sure to pick up a copy of BBC Sky at Night magazine where we have a 16-page pull-out sky guide with a full overview of everything worth looking up for throughout the whole month. Whether you like to look at the moon, the planets or the deep sky, whether you use binoculars, telescopes or neither, our sky guide has got you covered, with 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> Chris:<\/strong> Thank you for listening to this episode of the Star Diary podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night magazine. For more of our podcasts, visit our website at skynightmagazine.com or head to Acast, For more of our podcasts, visit our website at skynightmagazine.com or head to Acast, iTunes or Spotify.<br\/><br\/>\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Published: Sunday, 13 August 2023 at 07:00 AM Star Diary: 14 to 20 August, 2023 What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 14 to 20 August, 2023 in our weekly stargazing guide. This week\u2019s new moon makes it a great opportunity for some deep-sky observing. Chris Bramley: Hello and welcome to Star […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":48668,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"12"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023.jpg",1500,1000,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023.jpg",1500,1000,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2023\/08\/star-diary-14-to-20-august-2023.jpg",1500,1000,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 Published: Sunday, 13 August 2023 at 07:00 AM Star Diary: 14 to 20 August, 2023 What\u2019s in the night sky in the week of 14 to 20 August, 2023 in our weekly stargazing guide. This week\u2019s new moon makes it a great opportunity for some deep-sky observing. Chris Bramley: Hello and welcome to Star…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/48667"}],"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\/48668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}