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Lake County Skies: Hot August stars
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This month we have hot August stars to complement the hot classic cars associated with hot august nights.
August was originally named Sextilis by the Romans when their calendar had only 10 months, and Sextilis was the sixth month.
In 700 BC two additional months were added making this the eighth month. In 8 BC it was renamed August in honor of Augustus Caesar.
As you wait for the skies to darken after sunset, look toward the west after the sun has set for a very bright object. That is the planet Venus, the second planet from the sun.
Venus is nearly the size of Earth. But it differs from Earth due to an atmosphere that is 97 percent carbon dioxide as compared to .04 percent for Earth.
The high levels of carbon dioxide in Venus' atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect, trapping heat which gives Venus a surface temperature higher than that of Mercury, the closest planet from the Sun.
Venus is a disappointing object through a telescope. Its atmosphere prevents viewing the planet’s surface.
Venus does, however, exhibit phases just as does our moon. Radar enhanced images of Venus from NASA probes provide a more detailed view of the planet’s atmosphere.
On Aug. 9 the moon will appear close to Venus.
After observing Venus, the sky should be dark enough to locate the Summer Triangle. This is a pattern of three bright stars, Vega, Deneb and Altair. They are located directly overhead. Use our star chart to identify them.
Vega is the fifth brightest star in the sky, Altair the 12th and Deneb the 19th. All three are relatively young stars which means they burn hotter than older stars, like our Sun. And so it is appropriate that these young, hot stars shine brightly overhead during hot August nights!
Vega is located in the constellation Lyra the Harp. As our star chart shows, it lies directly overhead. Lyra represents the harp that Orpheus played. In Greek Mythology, Orpheus was a great musician and poet.
Lyra contains two remarkable objects visible through a small telescope. The first is the Ring Nebula. This is a faint object that looks like a tiny smoke ring.
The second object in Lyra is the “Double Double.” No, that’s not a typo. That is the name of a double star, which, under high power, reveals that each double star is itself a double.
August is notable for the Perseids Meteor Shower. This year it peaks after midnight on Aug. 11-12. The Moon will not interfere with viewing this year.
While meteors are sometimes called falling stars, nothing could be further from the truth. Most meteors are small dust particles that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. They originate when the Earth passes through the debris left by a comet.
Get a comfortable lawn chair, set up in a dark location, and watch toward the northeast beginning around midnight.
If you plan on staying up until sunrise, you will be rewarded by seeing Jupiter and Mars rising in the East, followed by Mercury.
John Zimmerman is a resident of Lake County and has been an amateur astronomer for more than 50 years. For more information about astronomy and local resources, visit his Web site at www.lakecountyskies.com .