Sirius, the night’s brightest star, shines from the east-southeast before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
About a week after its first appearance (heliacal rising) in the morning sky, Sirius, the night’s brightest star, shines from the east-southeast nearly 40 minutes before sunrise.
As seen in the image above, Sirius is low in the sky. Find an observing spot reasonably free of obstacles to see the star. It is easily visible without a binocular or telescope. As the star rises 4 minutes earlier each day, find in higher in the east-southeast at the same time in about a week.
Here is a daily summary about the planets during August.
2021, July 6: Venus, Mars Final Approach
July 6, 2021: In less than a week, brilliant Venus passes Mars in the west-northwestern sky after sunset. This evening the two planets are 3.8° apart. Venus is over 18° to the lower right of the star Regulus.
2021, July 1- 7, Morning Moon
July 1 – July 7, 2021, the waning crescent appears in the eastern sky. Early in the viewing period, the moon is among the dim stars of Pisces. As the week progresses, the moon wanes and moves farther eastward, appearing near Taurus.
2021, July 5: Earth at Aphelion
July 5, 2021: Our planet Earth reaches its farthest point in its yearly trek around the sun. Our seasons are not related to Earth’s distance from the sun. Coincidentally, the moon is at its farthest point from Earth today.
2021, July 5: Evening Star Venus, Mars Evening Sky
July 5, 2021: Venus continues to close in on Mars in the west-northwest after sunset. In a week Venus passes the Red Planet.
2021, July 4: Venus Aims at Mars
July 4, 2021: The Venus – Mars conjunction is eight days away. This evening Venus moves to within 5° of the Red Planet.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
Leave a Reply Cancel reply