2018 Week 32: (August 5-August 11)

It seems as though we are in for a hot week here in Calgary.  It may lead to perfect evenings to walk outside late and see the stars and planets above.

Date	Event
August 6	Aldebaran 1.1°S of Moon
August 7	Uranus Stationary
August 8	Mercury in Inferior Conjunction
August 11	New Moon
August 11	Partial Solar Eclipse

There will be a partial solar eclipse occurring this upcoming Saturday.  It will not be visible from Calgary.

It is important to note that many media institutions publish misleading information regarding astronomical events.  Online media bases its revenue on the amount of traffic attending the site.  In order to increase traffic they use false hyperbolic information to trick people into following the link to their site.  This occurred during the total lunar eclipse of July 27, 2018.  Several online media organizations dramatized this event as the greatest eclipse in a century that you can witness from Canada.  The Earth's outer shadow (penumbra) barely grazed the Moon on the easternmost point of Canada.  This would be imperceptible to the human eye.  I was asked more than a dozen times what was up with this eclipse.  Nothing.  Unless I was in stationed in the eastern hemisphere.

If you are an individual or media outlet uncertain about an upcoming astronomical event please do not hesitate to contact us below.

Email: simonjastronomy@gmail.com
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Getting back to the partial solar eclipse this weekend, it will be visible from parts of Canada.  However, the region of Canada it will be visible is quite lacking in observers.  The image below highlights the areas around the world it can be seen.  I would like to highlight Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut.  The eclipse will be visible as the Sun rises around 4:15am and will continue for more than an hour until 5:24am.  I think it would be absolutely fascinating to see a solar eclipse so early in the morning.

August 11, 2018 Partial Solar Eclipse (Image Credit: www.timeanddate.com)

As for other events this week it is a mixed bag.  The waning crescent Moon will be in conjunction with Taurus' bright star Aldebaran.  Taurus is now fully past the Sun and visible in the sky shortly before dawn.  In later months we will see the Pleiades creeping into our evening sky signalling the advent of Winter.

The seventh planet in our Solar System, Uranus, will be stationary on August 7 and it will begin its retrograde motion West against the backdrop stars.  It is still cruising the sky in Pisces and it makes a good target for those with binoculars or a telescope.

Mercury will be in inferior conjunction as its sits in front of the Sun relative to Earth.  It will again be visible later in the month in the morning sky.

The Moon will be New on August 11 and would likely qualify as a Supermoon.  Do not expect the media to jump all over that one since you can't see New Moons.  It will cause larger than normal tides as it lies close to Earth in its orbit at the same time it is aligned with the Sun.  For more information about tides follow the link below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-tides.html

Just for fun I have provided the tidal forecast for Vancouver below.  As the Moon approaches its Supermoon New Phase the tides get higher and higher with a 4.47m differential on the 11th.

I video chatted with my family on the beach while they were in Vancouver during the week of the Full Moon (another high tide time).  They arrived at the beach at low tide and had to walk 10-15 to the water.  The tide moved in quite quickly and recently built sandcastles became buried in mere minutes.

Vancouver Tidal Forecast August 4-12, 2018 (Image Credit: www.tide-forecast.com)

It is a very important week for space missions.  The chart below showcases the two major launches.

Date	Event
August 6	Falcon 9 (Merah Putih) 23:18
August 11	Delta 4 Heavy (Parker Solar Probe) 01:48

A Falcon 9 is scheduled to raise an Indonesian communications satellite to orbit in the late Monday evening.  However, the big event is the launch of the Delta 4 Heavy carrying the Parker Solar Probe.  This is shared in detail on my Space Missions 2018 Preview below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-preview-i-space-missions.html

This probe will get within 6 million kilometers of the Sun and will be able to study our own star like nothing before.  Even though this launch occurs at nearly 2 in the morning (MDT) it is worth checking out.

Parker Space Probe (Image Credit: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory)

I will reiterate again to get outside and view Mars.  It is at its largest but will soon shrink back into insignificance for another two years.  It won't be this large again until the mid 2030s when we have all aged more than a decade.

Mars

The global dust storm is starting to die down and you may be able to catch some surface features.  I intend to take my first 2018 vacation from work to spend some time with the red planet.  Look toward the southeast sky after sunset for your glimpse of Mars and note its colour and brightness.


Also, do not miss Venus, Jupiter and Saturn throughout the evening sky.  Venus and Jupiter are well on their way toward opposition and will not be visible in the evenings of 2018 much longer.

Also, set aside some time the week after for the return of the Perseid Meteor Shower!