Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday July 21th and 22nd written by Joe Slomka
This is the Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday July 21th and 22nd written by Joe Slomka.
The Sun sets at 8:32 PM; night falls at 10:31. Dawn breaks at 3:34 AM and ends with sunrise at 5:37.
Monday’s Moon lies in Taurus, rises in the northwest at 1:43, 70° high, appears 32 arc-minutes in size, 13% lit and sets at 6:15 PM. Tuesday’s rises at 2:29 AM in Gemini, 75° high, same size, 6% illuminated and sets at 7:18 PM. Wednesday’s rises at 3:47 AM.
Evening sky is unchanged from last week. Mercury hugs the western horizon in Cancer, rises at 7:37 AM, highest at 2:30 PM, 8° high, 10% lit and sets at 9:22 PM. Red Planet Mars, in Leo, rises at 10:08, 1st magnitude, appears 4 arc-seconds, highest at 4:32 PM, 28° high, 94% lit and sets at 10:55 PM.
Minor Planet 4Vesta located above the south, rises at 3:08 PM, highest at 8:32 PM, 7th magnitude, 94% lit, tiny 0.4 arc-seconds, and sets at 2:02 AM.
By 5 AM all planets are present. Venus is brightest, rises in the East at 2:45 AM, highest at 10:03, blazes with minus 4th magnitude, appears 16 arc-seconds, by 5 AM 12° high, 72% lit and sets at 5:21 PM. Uranus occupies Taurus, rises at 1:59 AM, highest at 9:18 AM, 5th magnitude, appears 3 arc-seconds, 28° high and sets at 4:33 PM.
Jupiter, fresh from the solar shadow, creates a very slim appearance. In Gemini, it rises at 4:25 AM, minus 2nd magnitude, appears 32 arc-seconds, 1° high just over the eastern horizon and sets at 7:29 PM. Jupiter switched from Taurus to Gemini and remains that way for the rest of the year. Tuesday, Jupiter, Venus and the Moon form a triangle in the early hours.
Saturn and Neptune share Pisces and 1° apart. Saturn, rises at 11:37 AM, highest at 5:35 AM, zero brightness, 18 arc-seconds, 44° high and sets at 11:28 AM. Neptune rises at 11:33 PM, highest at 5:34 AM, 8th magnitude, 2 arc-seconds, 45° high and sets at 11:21 AM.
Those with larger telescopes can observe Minor Planet Pluto rise in the southwest at 7:19 PM, highest at 1:49 AM, 14th magnitude, appears 0.1 arc-seconds, 13° high and sets at 6:14 PM.
Only two constellations refer to real people. Coma Berenices lies above Leo’s tail, and lost behind Sun. The other constellation, Scutum, is visible in summer skies. Scutum is a dim constellation above teapot-shaped Sagittarius within the glorious Milky Way. It is the fifth smallest. The astronomer Johannes Hevelius named it for Polish King Jan Sobieski. The Ottoman Empire threatened to invade Europe. Sobieski commanded an allied army and stopped the Turks outside of Vienna. Hevelius created Scutum partially to commemorate this victory, but also to thank the king for rebuilding his Gdansk observatory.
Clear Skies Joe Slomka