August features several celestial highlights, including a partial solar eclipse visible from Montréal on August 12, the Perseid meteor shower under a New Moon, a planetary parade before sunrise on August 13 and an especially favourable partial lunar eclipse during the night of August 27 to 28.
Times are given for Montréal in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
Sky events not to be missed
- August 2: Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation, visible just before sunrise in the eastern sky, with Castor, Pollux and the return of Orion serving as guides.
- August 7: The Moon joins Uranus and the Pleiades at dawn, with Mars, Saturn, Neptune, Ceres and the rising of Orion completing the scene.
- August 12: New Moon, partial solar eclipse visible from Montréal and peak of the Perseids. The month’s most eventful day in the sky!
- August 13: Planetary parade before sunrise: Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune stretch from east to west.
- August 14: Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation and becomes the evening sky’s most prominent object.
- August 15: Close approach of Jupiter and Mercury, low in the eastern sky around 5:30 a.m., visible to the naked eye with a clear horizon.
- August 27–28: Partial lunar eclipse visible from Québec; up to 93% of the Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow.
Celestial events, day by day
August 2: Close approach of the Moon (80%), Neptune and Saturn. The Moon passes near Neptune and will be visible with binoculars from moonrise, around 11 p.m. on August 2, until moonset the following day. Saturn accompanies the pair, to the left of Neptune.
August 2: Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation. Mercury will shine brightly just before sunrise, very low in the eastern sky. A perfectly unobstructed horizon will be required. The stars Castor and Pollux lie to the left of Mercury, while Betelgeuse and the returning constellation Orion appear to the right. Higher up and to the right, Mars, Saturn and the Moon complete the morning scene.
August 4: Close approach of the Moon (70%), Saturn and Neptune. The Moon rises around 11 p.m. on August 3, with Saturn following to its right about 30 minutes later. The pair remains visible throughout the night. Neptune, visible with binoculars, stays to the right of Saturn.
August 5: Mercury reaches its highest altitude in the morning sky. From Montréal, Mercury climbs to the highest point of its summer morning apparition, about 15° above the eastern horizon at sunrise. Even so, it remains difficult to observe.
August 5: Last Quarter Moon (50%) at 10:21 p.m. EDT.
August 7: The Moon (36%) joins Uranus and M45, the Pleiades open star cluster, from around 1 a.m. until sunrise. The three objects are visible in the eastern sky. Saturn and Neptune appear farther to the right, while Mars rises around 2:30 a.m. and completes the scene with Ceres. Orion also rises in the east.
August 9: A thin waning crescent Moon (16%) meets Mars and spends the night with it. The pair rises around 2 a.m. on August 9 and remains together until sunrise.
August 10: The Moon (7%) reaches perigee, its closest point to Earth (363,265 km), at 7:10 a.m. EDT.
August 11: A very thin crescent Moon (2%) pays a visit to Mercury in the first light of dawn. Look toward the east for the slender crescent, with Mercury just below it.
August 12: New Moon (0%) at 1:36 p.m. EDT.
August 12: Total solar eclipse visible from eastern Greenland and Spain. In Montréal, the eclipse will be partial: it begins at 12:50:32 p.m., reaches its maximum at 1:45:41 p.m., with 18.3% of the Sun’s disk obscured, and ends at 2:38:59 p.m.
August 12: Peak of the Perseids. Observing conditions will be excellent this year, as the shower reaches peak activity around the New Moon. Peak activity is expected between 3:30 p.m. on August 12 and 10 a.m. on August 13, offering excellent viewing conditions in the city and countryside.
August 13: Planetary parade before dawn. Just before sunrise, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune stretch from east to west across the sky. The same view will also be visible one or two days earlier.
August 14: Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation of the year. The planet reaches its greatest apparent separation from the Sun, east of our star, during its evening apparition.
August 14: The globular cluster Messier 15, in the constellation Pegasus, is well placed for observation and reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight, local time in Montréal.
August 15: Close approach of Jupiter and Mercury. Just before sunrise, around 5:30 a.m. in the eastern sky, Mercury appears slightly above and to the left of Jupiter. A clear eastern horizon allows the pair to be seen with the naked eye.
August 15: Messier 2 is well placed for observation. The globular cluster M2, in the constellation Pisces, reaches its highest point in the sky around midnight.
August 16: The Moon (20%) accompanies Venus as it sets in the west, shortly after the Sun. The Moon appears to the right of Venus on August 15 and to its left on August 16.
August 19: First Quarter Moon (50%) at 10:46 p.m. EDT.
August 21: The Moon (68%) passes near the star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) in the constellation Scorpius. Its name means “rival of Mars,” and this red supergiant resembles Mars because of its colour. The pair is visible from sunset until Antares sets after 11 p.m. in the western sky.
August 22: The Moon (71%) reaches apogee, its farthest point from Earth (404,678 km), at 4:16 a.m. EDT.
August 27: Mercury reaches superior solar conjunction. The planet passes behind the Sun and becomes unobservable.
August 27–28: Partial lunar eclipse visible from Québec. During the night of August 27 to 28, the eclipse lasts from 9:23 p.m. EDT to 3:01 a.m. EDT. Up to 93% of the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow.
August 28: Full Moon (100%) at 12:18 a.m. EDT.
August 30: The Moon (90%) passes near the Saturn–Neptune pair from moonrise, around 9 p.m. The three objects are visible in the eastern sky. Saturn appears slightly below the Moon, with Neptune to its right. Binoculars or a small telescope are needed to observe Neptune.
