Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

Wednesday, 28 August 2024 17:00

Monday 2nd to Sunday 8th September 2024

Point your telescope towards the south south west around 3am on Monday 2nd and you should be able to easily spot Saturn shining at a magnitude of around +0.2 together with a number of its many moons. In particular though, Saturn's largest moon Titan will be immediately below the planet's south pole.

Titan is described as being a round, planet-like moon and apart from the Earth, is the only object known to have liquids on its surface. It is the second-largest moon in our Solar System, with first place going to Jupiter's Ganymede.

If you really fancy a challenge, stay up until dawn that morning and around 5.30am, an extremely thin 1%-lit waning crescent Moon will rise above the horizon towards the east north east. A little above and to the right of the Moon, you will find planet Mercury.

Please don't be tempted to use binoculars or a telescope for this particular activity because the Sun will be rising in the same place and you mustn't catch an accidental glimpse of it in your eyepiece.

Thursday 5th provides an opportunity for a bit of naked eye astronomy at a more sociable hour. Look towards the west around 7.30pm and see if you can spot the Moon, which by now will be a 5%-lit waxing crescent, with planet Venus shining at a magnitude of -3.8 to the right of it.

We will have had a New Moon on Wednesday 3rd, which is why the crescent on 5th is described as "waxing". Of course the presence of a New Moon is the best time to go hunting those faint fuzzy deep sky objects because there will be no light pollution coming from our celestial neighbour.

www.starsoversomerset.com
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2024