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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the week ending Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:
The slender crescent moon joins the brilliant evening planet, Venus, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, July 10 and 11. The moon can be found to the lower left of Venus on Wednesday, between the planet and the western horizon. It moves to the upper left of Venus on the following evening. The grouping is easiest to see at about 8:45 p.m.
The phase of the moon grows from crescent to first quarter on Monday night, July 15, and on following nights appears waxing gibbous before becoming full on the 22nd. The moon will be seven degrees from the ringed planet Saturn, in Virgo the Maiden, on the 15th. The moon sets an average of 32 minutes later each night, changing from 9:29 p.m. on the 10th to 12:59 a.m. on the 17th.
By 5:15 a.m., the brilliant planet Jupiter and fainter, orange planet Mars can be seen close together above the east-northeast horizon. Mars is to the upper right of Jupiter. The apparent separation between the planets shrinks from 5 degrees to only 2⅓ degrees during the week.
The International Space Station passes high over southern California on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, July 16 and 17. On Tuesday morning, the satellite–outshining anything else then above the horizon–will cross the sky from the west-southwest to the northeast between 5:12 and 5:19 a.m., P.D.T. It reaches its apex, 53 degrees above the northwest horizon, at 5:16 a.m. On the following morning, at 4:26 a.m., the ISS emerges from earth’s shadow already 39 degrees above the southwest horizon, and is highest–78 degrees above the southeast horizon–at 4:27 a.m. The ISS remains visible until it reaches the northeast horizon at 4:31 a.m.
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night, are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes Tuesday-Sunday before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for our schedule. The next public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, July 13. This free event, between 2:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., is a chance for the entire family to learn about telescopes, the hobby of astronomy, and is an opportunity to meet the local amateur astronomers while viewing the sky.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.