Stargazing Summary
August nights provide an excellent chance to see the spectacle of the Milky Way, especially early and late in the month, when there’s little or no moonlight to overpower its subtle glow. It arcs directly overhead around midnight, anchored by teapot-shaped Sagittarius in the south. The dazzling planets Venus and Jupiter, and the fainter planets Saturn and Mars, zip past each other in the last half of the month.
More stargazing information »
More stargazing information »
Radio Program Highlights
If you want to start hearing the StarDate program in your area, you can request a station to carry our program by emailing the request to stations@stardate.org.
August 4-10: Meeting the Neighbors. Many of our stellar neighbors are just now coming into view — they’re so faint that nobody had ever noticed them before. We’ll have details on a search for these unseen neighbors, plus new searches for neighboring planets.
August 11-17: Getting Together. Two prominent pairings highlight the sky this week. The planets Mars and Saturn get together in the evening sky, while the brighter planets Venus and Jupiter are even closer in the morning sky. Join us for these encounters and more.August 18-24: Seeing Red. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of the most recognizable features in the solar system — even though it’s always changing. It wiggles around, its color brightens and fades, and it’s shrinking in a hurry. Join us for the Great Red Spot and more.
August 25-31: Forgotten Giant. Neptune is one of the giants of the solar system, but it’s so far away that it’s easily overlooked. We’ll turn the spotlight on this forgotten giant this week. And we’ll also take a look at a glowing cat’s eye.
August program schedule »
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Coming Up In StarDate Magazine
Our September/October issue brings you a submarine for Saturn's moon Titan, a testbed for growing food on Mars, and a huge new space telescope on the cheap — all projects NASA is studying for the coming decades. Be sure to check out our feature story "I Spy the Future."
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News From The Observatory
São Paulo, Brazil to Join Giant Magellan Telescope Project
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil, has taken a critical step towards joining the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project. The GMT, an astronomical observatory of unprecedented scale, will allow astronomers to probe the formation of stars and galaxies shortly after the Big Bang, to measure the masses of black holes and to discover and characterize planets around other stars. The giant telescope will be located at the Las Campanas Observatory, high in the Chilean Andes, and will begin scientific operations at the start of the next decade. The University of Texas at Austin is a founding partner in the GMT project.
Astronomers Disprove Claims that Two 'Goldilocks Planets' Might Support Life
Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin and Penn State University have solved a mystery surrounding controversial signals coming from a dwarf star considered to be a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life. The team has proven that the signals suspected to come from two planets orbiting the star at a distance where liquid water could potentially exist (so-called “Goldilocks planets,” whose orbits are just right), actually are coming from the star itself.
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil, has taken a critical step towards joining the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project. The GMT, an astronomical observatory of unprecedented scale, will allow astronomers to probe the formation of stars and galaxies shortly after the Big Bang, to measure the masses of black holes and to discover and characterize planets around other stars. The giant telescope will be located at the Las Campanas Observatory, high in the Chilean Andes, and will begin scientific operations at the start of the next decade. The University of Texas at Austin is a founding partner in the GMT project.
Astronomers Disprove Claims that Two 'Goldilocks Planets' Might Support Life
Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin and Penn State University have solved a mystery surrounding controversial signals coming from a dwarf star considered to be a prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life. The team has proven that the signals suspected to come from two planets orbiting the star at a distance where liquid water could potentially exist (so-called “Goldilocks planets,” whose orbits are just right), actually are coming from the star itself.
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About SkyTips
SkyTips is a monthly email newsletter for visitors to McDonald Observatory and StarDate Online. Each issue features stargazing highlights, upcoming StarDate radio program descriptions, and other news. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends and family.
SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2609 University Ave. A2100, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.
SkyTips is a publication of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory Education and Outreach Office, 2609 University Ave. A2100, Austin, TX 78712. Reproduction of SkyTips content is permitted with proper credit given to McDonald Observatory.
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