~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for July 18 – 20 ~
Sun rises at 5:46am
Sun sets at 6:50pm
Lunar phase: 4th quarter, waning crescent
Moon rises at 12:36am, Saturday
Moon sets at 1:56pm, Saturday
This weekend, keep a look out for the Perseids Meteor Shower. Although the predicted peak isn’t until August 12, there is a slow roll-out that started this week. Because the moon is now waning towards a new moon, there will be very good viewing in the early morning hours this weekend. By the time the Perseids are at their height, the moon will be nearing full, which will greatly hamper your ability to see those shooting stars. Like most meteor showers, this one’s best from midnight until just before dawn.
Skywatchers frequently report that the Perseids can show up to 90 meteors per hour, and these particular meteors often leave persistent trains or long tails of light that linger in the sky. All of these factors make the Perseids one of the most beloved meteor showers for the Northern Hemisphere.
While you gaze upward, hoping for the sight of a meteor, you might notice Mars up high in the western sky after sunset. Mars sets about 8:00pm and that is just a short wait before Saturn will be rising from the eastern horizon (by 10:30pm). You’ll enjoy seeing the thin crescent moon rising about 2:30am on Saturday night (Sunday morning) and by the next night, 24 hours later, you’ll see an even skinnier moon right up within the stars of the Pleiades star cluster.
Venus dominates the predawn hours as the Morning Star (although we know it’s really a planet) rising up about 3:30am and an hour or so later, find Jupiter sneaking up into the sky just ahead of the sunlight, welcoming a new day.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles, backyard (or beach) astronomy designed for St. Maarten sky viewing. FYI: If you are out later on in the week, note that each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
