Stargazing in August? Here’s what Kentuckians could expect

KENTUCKY ( FOX 56 ) — All eyes should be on the night sky as meteor showers, a supermoon, and a conjunction of planets are on tap for Kentuckians to enjoy in August.

Astronomy junkies may have a bit of a wait as the “ best meteor shower of the year ” isn’t scheduled to start until Aug. 12–13.

Perseid meteor shower

What is there to like about 50–100 meteors per hour shooting across the night sky? It happens in the late summer, allowing meteor fans to watch them in relative comfort.

Known for their fireballs, NASA notes that the perseids are best viewed in the pre-dawn hours in the northern hemisphere. Some viewers could still see meteors as early as 10 p.m.

EarthSky said that, while there’s no direct connection between the meteor’s radiant, or path of travel and its origin point, the path of the meteor can typically be traced back to the constellation Perseus.

The Perseids are expected to last until Sept. 1.

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Conjunction of Mars and Jupiter

The gas giant Jupiter and the red planet Mars will be in conjunction by the middle of August .

Across the coming weeks, Mars will “sideswipe” Jupiter, according to EarthySky, and this conjunction will peak on Aug. 14.

The pair of planets will hang out together in the Taurus constellation, not too far from the Pleiades star cluster.

While the bright white light of Jupiter and the dimmer red shine of Mars will pair nicely together in the sky, EarthSky recommends enjoying Jupiter through binoculars, as its moons will “enhance your enjoyment of the view.”

Full Sturgeon “Supermoon”

With a little help from Saturn, the full sturgeon moon will light up the skies on Aug. 19, peaking around 2:26 p.m. local time, according to space.com .

To be a supermoon , the moon has to be at its closest point to the Earth, which will take place on Aug. 21. At this point, the moon will be about 27,000 miles closer in its elliptical orbit around the Earth than its furthest point. This will result in a 10%–11% increase in size, according to space.com

EarthSky noted that the increase in size can also result in a brightness increase of nearly 15%–30% .

The sturgeon full moon’s name comes from the Farmer’s Almanac, which notes that the sturgeon fish is more easily caught in August and early September .

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