10 August 2025
When one thing thrilling occurs within the evening sky it’s often cloudy in Pittsburgh however not this week. Beginning at 3:30am — and even 4am — you’ll see three celestial occasions: the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus (japanese sky), the complete Moon (western sky) and the Perseid meteor bathe (location of Perseus constellation).
Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus:
Within the subsequent few days, 11-13 August, Jupiter and Venus will rise solely six to 9 minutes aside they usually’ll be shut collectively. (Venus rises first at 3:30am). The annotated picture above at 4:49am exhibits how shut they have been this morning. Venus is the brighter one. Observe that as time passes this month, these two will change their relative place.
Right here’s in the present day’s picture with out markup.
Full Moon:
The moon was formally full yesterday morning at 3:57am EDT. I took an image seven hours earlier than “full” as a skinny cloud gave the moon an eyebrow.
Perseid Meteor Bathe:
On 12-13 August our planet might be passing via a belt of pure area particles from the comet Swift–Tuttle. Because the chunks enter our ambiance they generate a meteor bathe that happens yearly within the normal location of the constellation Perseus. Therefore they’re referred to as the Perseids.
Greatest viewing is from midnight on 12 August via early morning 13 August, conveniently timed so you’ll be able to see all three celestial occasions after 3:40am.
Observe that for those who stay the place you can’t see the celebrities (I do) you’ll must discover a darkish sky to see the meteors. Additionally word that the complete moon’s gentle will intrude with a transparent view of the Perseids.
The whole sky present is defined on this brief video from Marcy at EarthSky on YouTube
