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(1)Microscopium (my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-um), the Microscope - August 04
(2) Capricornus (CAP-rih-CORN-us), the Fish-Goat – August 08
(3)Equuleus (eh-QUOO-lee-us), the Little Horse – August 08
(4) Indus (IN- dus), the Indian – August 12
(5)Aquarius (uh-QUAIR-ee-us), the Water Bearer – August 25
(6)Piscis Austrinus (PICE-iss-aw-STRY-nus), the Southern Fish – August 25
(7)Grus (GRUSS), the Crane (Brid) – August 28
(8)Lacerta (luh-SER-tuh), the Lizard - August 28
MECATX August 2016 Sky Charts
Remote Video Astronomy Group
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August 04
Microscopium (my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-um), the Microscope (Mic),
Microscopii (my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-eye)
Microscopium
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Microscopiurn Meaning: The Microscope Pronunciation: my krow scop' ee urn Abbreviation: Mic Possessive form: Microscopii (my krow skow' pee ee) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Capricornus, Crus, Indus, Piscis Austrinus, Sagittarius Overall brightness: 7.160(42) Central point: RA = 20h55rn Dec.= -36.5° Directional extremes: N = -28° S = -45° E = 21h25rn W = 20h25rn Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 4 Aug Bright stars: none Named stars: none Near stars: Cordoba 29191 (21), LTT 8181-8182 (119), Lfl 8214 (164) Size: 209.51 square degrees (0.508% of the sky) Rank in size: 66 Solar conjunction date: 4 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: S of +45° completely invisible from latitudes: N of +62° Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 15 Interesting facts: (1) This was one of the 14 constellations invented by Lacaille
during his stay at the Cape of Good Hope in 1751-2.
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August 08
Capricornus (CAP-rih-CORN-us), the Fish Goat (Cap),
Capricorni (CAP-rih-CORN-eye)
Capricornus
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Capricornus Meaning: The Sea Goat Pronunciation: kap nh kor' ntis Abbreviation: Cap Possessive form: Capnicorni (kap nih corn' ee) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Aquarius, Aquila, Microscopium, Piscis Austrinus, Sagittarius Overall brightness: 7.489 (36) Central point: RA = 2lhOOm Dec.=-18' Directional extremes: N = —8° S = —280 E = 21h57m W = 20h04m Messier objects: M30 Meteor showers: Capnicornids (22 Jul) a Capnicornids (30 Jul) Midnight culmination date: 8 Aug Bright stars: 6 (142), 13(185) Named stars: Algedi (cx), Aishat (v), Dabih (13), Deneb Algedi (6), Giedi (a), Gredi (a),
Nashira (y), Prima Giedi (a) Near stars: Wolf 922 (96), LFT 1535 (125) Size: 413.95 square degrees 0.003% of the sky) Rank in size: 40 Solar conjunction date: 5 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: S of +62°
completely invisible from latitudes: N of +820 Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 31 Non-traditional 'mythology': This constellation is often called the "smile in the sky."
This smile is composed of the stars 6, y t, 0, cx, 13, It, w . 24, , and C of this constellation. However, a lady's high-heeled shoe may also be found among these stars. Begin with a as the toe of the shoe, then move to 13, It, and then over to X; then proceed down to i, then to co, 24, ç, 6, -y t, and 0.
Interesting facts: (1) Of the 12 traditional constellations of the zodiac,
Capricornus is the smallest. (2) According to Flammarion, Chinese astronomers observed five planets in conjunction in this constellation in 2449 BC. (3) Over 2000 years ago, the position of the Sun at the December
solstice lay within the confines of this constellation. At that point, the Sun was at declination —23.5°, or 23.5° below the celestial equator. The corresponding latitude on Earth (the southernmost point where the Sun could be directly overhead at noon) thus was named the 'Tropic of Capricorn.' It still retains this designation today, even though the Earth's precessional motion has moved the point of the December solstice into neighboring Sagittarius
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August 12
Equuleus (eh-QUOO-lee-us), the Little Horse (Equ),
Equulei (eh-QUOO-lee-eye)
Equuleus
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Equuleus Meaning: The Foal Pronunciation: ek woo oo' lee us Abbreviation: Equ Possessive form: Equulei (ek woo oo' lay ee) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Aquarius, Delphinus, Pegasus Overall brightness: 6.979 (46) Central point: RA = 21h08m Dec. = +7.5° Directional extremes: N = +13° S = +2° E = 21h23m W = 20h54m Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 8 Aug Bright stars: none Named stars: none Near stars: none Size: 71.64 square degrees (0.174% of the sky) Rank in size: 87 Solar conjunction date: 7 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: N of -77° completely invisible from latitudes: S of -88° Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 5 Interesting facts: (1) 6 Equ is a close binary where both members are main sequence stars of spectraltype F7, having visual magnitudes of 5.2 and 5.3. This pair appears to be separated by 0.34". Since S Equ lies approximately 53 light years away, it has been calculated that the distance between these two stars is only slightly more than the distance separating the Sun and Jupiter. These stars orbit one another every 5.7 years.
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August 12
Indus (IN- dus), the Indian (Ind),
Indi (IN-dye)
Indus
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Indus Meaning: The American Indian Pronunciation: in' dus Abbreviation: Ind Possessive form: mdi (in' dee) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Crus, Microscopium, Octans, Pavo, Telescopium, Tucana Overall brightness: 4.422 (80) Central point: RA = 21h55m Dec.= _600 Directional extremes: N = 45° S = -75° E = 23h25m W = 20h25m Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 12 Aug Bright stars: a (189) Named stars: none Near stars: e Ind (14) Size: 294.01 square degrees (0.713% of the sky) Rank in size: 49 Solar conjunction date: 19 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: S of +15° completely invisible from latitudes: N of +45° Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 13 Interesting facts: (1) This is one of 11 constellations invented by Pieter Dirksz
Keyser and Frederick de Houtman, during the years 1595-7.
(2) One of the nearest of the solar-type stars s Ind, lies within the confines of this constellation. Its distance is 11.2 light years.
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August 25
Aquarius (uh-QUAIR-ee-us), the Water Bearer (Aqr),
Aquarii (uh-QUAIR-ee-eye)
Aquarius
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Aquarius Meaning: The Water Bearer Pronunciation: uh qwayr' ee us Abbreviation: Aqr Possessive form: AquariA (ah kwayr' ee ee) Asterisms: The Water Jar Bordering constellations: Aquila, Capricornus, Cetus, Deiphinus, Equuleus, Pegasus, Pisces, Piscis Austrinus, Sculptor Overall brightness: 5.715 (65) Central point: RA = 22h15m Dec.= -11° Directional extremes: N = +3° S = -25° E = 23h54m W = 20h36m Messier objects: M2, M72, M73 Meteor showers: rl Aquarids (3 May) S. S Aquarids (29 Jul) S. t Aquarids (5 Aug) N. SAquarids (12 Aug) N. t Aquarids (20 Sep) icAquarids (21 Sep) Midnight culmination date: 25 Aug Bright stars: (152), a (160) Named stars: Albali (s), Ancha (0), Sadachbia (y), Sadalmelek (a), Sadalsuud (I), Situla (K), Skat (5) Near stars: L 789-6 (II), Ross 780 (35), LFT 1754 (105), Wolf 1329 (145), BD-21°6267A-B (161), BD+004810 (168), LFT 1699-1700 (178) Size: 979.85 square degrees (2.375% of the sky) Rank in size: 10 Solar conjunction date: 24 Feb
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Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: +65° to - 87° portions visible worldwide Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 56 Non-traditional 'mythology': It is possible to make a rough outline map of South America using the stars 0, ?c, t, 5, 88, and i in this constellation. Interesting facts: (1) On 23 September 1846, the planet Neptune was discovered within the borders of this constellation, about 1° north of t Aqr, by the German astronomer Galle at the Berlin Observatory. Its position had been predicted by a French astronomer, Urbain Leverrien Later, the English astronomer, John Couch Adams was also given credit for predicting the location of Neptune. (2) The oft-mentioned 'Age of Aquarius' will occur when the vernal equinox moves from its present position in Pisces into Aquarius. This movement is caused by the Earth's precessional motion. Don't look for worldwide peace and understanding too soon, however - this momentous event is still about 800 years away! (3) Midway between the stars i Aqr and a PsA (Fomalhaut), we find the wonderful planetary nebula known as the Helix Nebula. At a distance of approximately 700 light years, it is the nearest of all planetary nebulae. As it is so near, it also seems to be the largest, covering ° in area. Experience has demonstrated that the best views of this object of low surface brightness are through binoculars which give xlO-x20 magnification.
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M2-9: Wings of a Butterfly
Nebula
Explanation: Stars usually
create their most artistic
displays as they die. In the
case of low-mass stars like
our Sun and M2-9 pictured
above, the stars transform
themselves from
normal stars to white
dwarfs by casting off their
outer gaseous envelopes. M2-
9, a butterfly planetary
nebula 2100 light-years away shown in representative colors, has wings that tell a
strange but incomplete tale. In the center, two stars orbit inside a gaseous disk 10
times the orbit of Pluto. The expelled envelope of the dying starbreaks out from the
disk creating the bipolar appearance.
M72: A Globular Cluster of
Stars
Explanation: Globular
clusters once ruled the Milky
Way. Back in the old days, back
when our Galaxy first formed,
perhaps thousands of globular
clusters roamed our Galaxy.
Today, there are less than 200
left. Many globular clusters
were destroyed over the eons by
repeated fateful encounters with
each other or the Galactic
center. There are few, if any, young globular clusters in our Milky Way
Galaxy because conditionsare not ripe for more to form. Pictured above by the Hubble
Space Telescope are about 100,000 of M72's stars. M72, which spans about 50 light
years and lies about 50,000 light years away, can be seen with a small
telescope toward the constellation of the Water Bearer (Aquarius).
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August 25
Piscis Austrinus (PICE-iss-aw-STRY-nus), the Southern Fish (PsA),
Piscis Austrini (PICE-iss- aw- STRY-nye)
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Piscis Austrinus Meaning: The Southern Fish Pronunciation: pie' siss os try' nus Abbreviation: PsA Possessive form: Piscis Austrini (pie' siss os tree' flee) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Aquarius, Capricornus, Grus, Microscopium, Sculptor Overall brightness: 6,113 (54) Central point: RA = 22h14m Dec.=-31- Directional extremes: N = -25° S=-37' E= 23h04m W= 21h25m Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 25 Aug Bright stars: a (18) Named stars: Fomalhaut (a) Near stars: Lacaille 9352 (19), a (80), L'fl' 9283 (108) Size: 245.37 square degrees (0.595% of the sky) Rank in size: 60 Solar conjunction date: 24 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: S of +53°
completely invisible from latitudes: N of +65°
Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 15 Interesting facts: (1) a PsA, or Fomalhaut, is one of the four Royal Stars of
the ancient Persians. The other three are Aldebaran (a Tau), Antares (a Sco), and Regulus (a Leo),
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August 28
Grus (GRUSS), the Crane (Gru),
Gruis (GROO-iss)
Grus
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Grus Meaning: The Crane Pronunciation: groose Abbreviation: Gru Possessive form: Gruis (groo' eese) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Indus, Microscopium, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus,
Sculptor, Tucana
Overall brightness: 6.566(50) Central point RA= 22h25in Dec.= -47° Directional extremes: N = 370 5 = -57° E = 23h25m W = 21h25m Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 28 Aug Bright stars: a (30), 3 (57), 7(172) Named stars: Al Dhanab (y), Alnair (a) Near stars: LFT 1640 (32) Size: 365.51 square degrees (0.886% of the sky) Rank in size: 45 Solar conjunction date: 27 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: S of +33°
completely invisible from latitudes: N of +53°
Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5): 24 Interesting facts: (1) This is one of 11 constellations invented by
Pieter Dirksz Keyser and Frederick de Houtrnan, during the years 1595-7.
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August 28
Lacerta (luh-SER-tuh), the Lizard (Lac),
Lacertae (luh-SER-tee)
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Lacerta Meaning: The Lizard Pronunciation: luh sir' tuh Abbreviation: Lac Possessive form: Lacertae (luh sir' tie) Asterisms: none Bordering constellations: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cygnus, Pegasus Overall brightness: 11.460(13) Central point: HA = 22h25m Dec.= +46° Directional extremes: N = +57° S = +350 B = 22h56m W = 21h55m Messier objects: none Meteor showers: none Midnight culmination date: 28 Aug Bright stars: none Named stars: none Near stars: EV Lac (43) Size: 200.69 square (0.487%) Rank in size: 68 Solar conjunction date: 27 Feb Visibility: completely visible from latitudes: N of —33° completely invisible from latitudes: S of —55° Visible stars: (number of stars brighter than magnitude 5.5+: 23 Interesting facts: (1) One of seven constellations still in use invented by
Johannes Hevelius. In 1690, this group was included in a star atlas which accompanied his stellar catalog.
(2) A very unusual object lies within this constellation. It is designated BL Lac, because it was originally believed to be a variable star. It is now known that this object, and many others like it, are very distant, violently variable objects which resemble quasars in size and energy output. DL Lac type objects differ from quasars, however, because they seem to be related to distant elliptical galaxies and because their spectra show no discernable lines.
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August 2016
Killeen, Texas
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Twi A: 5:17am Sunrise: 6:48am Sunset: 8:26pm Twi A: 9:58pm Moonrise: 5:37am Moonset: 7:32pm
2 Twi A: 5:18am Sunrise: 6:49am Sunset: 8:26pm Twi A: 9:57pm Moonrise: 6:36am Moonset: 8:19pm New Moon: 3:46pm
3 Twi A: 5:19am Sunrise: 6:49am Sunset: 8:25pm Twi A: 9:55pm Moonrise: 7:35am Moonset: 9:01pm
4 Twi A: 5:20am Sunrise: 6:50am Sunset: 8:24pm Twi A: 9:54pm Moonrise: 8:33am Moonset: 9:39pm
5 Twi A: 5:21am Sunrise: 6:50am Sunset: 8:23pm Twi A: 9:53pm Moonrise: 9:30am Moonset: 10:15pm
6 Twi A: 5:21am Sunrise: 6:51am Sunset: 8:22pm Twi A: 9:52pm Moonrise: 10:25am Moonset: 10:49pm
7 Twi A: 5:22am Sunrise: 6:52am Sunset: 8:22pm Twi A: 9:51pm Moonrise: 11:18am Moonset: 11:23pm
8 Twi A: 5:23am Sunrise: 6:52am Sunset: 8:21pm Twi A: 9:50pm Moonrise: 12:11pm Moonset: 11:57pm
9 Twi A: 5:24am Sunrise: 6:53am Sunset: 8:20pm Twi A: 9:49pm Moonrise: 1:03pm Moonset: none
10 Twi A: 5:25am Sunrise: 6:54am Sunset: 8:19pm Twi A: 9:47pm Moonrise: 1:55pm Moonset: 12:32am First Qtr: 1:22pm
11 Twi A: 5:26am Sunrise: 6:54am Sunset: 8:18pm Twi A: 9:46pm Moonrise: 2:48pm Moonset: 1:09am
12 Twi A: 5:27am Sunrise: 6:55am Sunset: 8:17pm Twi A: 9:45pm Moonrise: 3:40pm Moonset: 1:49am
13 Twi A: 5:28am Sunrise: 6:56am Sunset: 8:16pm Twi A: 9:44pm Moonrise: 4:32pm Moonset: 2:32am
14 Twi A: 5:29am Sunrise: 6:56am Sunset: 8:15pm Twi A: 9:43pm Moonrise: 5:23pm Moonset: 3:20am
15 Twi A: 5:29am Sunrise: 6:57am Sunset: 8:14pm Twi A: 9:41pm Moonrise: 6:13pm Moonset: 4:13am
16 Twi A: 5:30am Sunrise: 6:57am Sunset: 8:13pm Twi A: 9:40pm Moonrise: 7:01pm Moonset: 5:09am
17 Twi A: 5:31am Sunrise: 6:58am Sunset: 8:12pm Twi A: 9:39pm Moonrise: 7:46pm Moonset: 6:09am
18 Twi A: 5:32am Sunrise: 6:59am Sunset: 8:11pm Twi A: 9:37pm Moonrise: 8:30pm Moonset: 7:11am Full Moon: 4:28am
19 Twi A: 5:33am Sunrise: 6:59am Sunset: 8:10pm Twi A: 9:36pm Moonrise: 9:11pm Moonset: 8:14am
20 Twi A: 5:34am Sunrise: 7:00am Sunset: 8:09pm Twi A: 9:35pm Moonrise: 9:52pm Moonset: 9:18am
21 Twi A: 5:35am Sunrise: 7:00am Sunset: 8:08pm Twi A: 9:33pm Moonrise: 10:33pm Moonset: 10:23am
22 Twi A: 5:35am Sunrise: 7:01am Sunset: 8:06pm Twi A: 9:32pm Moonrise: 11:16pm Moonset: 11:27am
23 Twi A: 5:36am Sunrise: 7:02am Sunset: 8:05pm Twi A: 9:31pm Moonrise: 12:00am Moonset: 12:32pm
24 Twi A: 5:37am Sunrise: 7:02am Sunset: 8:04pm Twi A: 9:29pm Moonrise: none Moonset: 1:36pm Last Qtr: 10:42pm
25 Twi A: 5:38am Sunrise: 7:03am Sunset: 8:03pm Twi A: 9:28pm Moonrise: 12:47am Moonset: 2:38pm
26 Twi A: 5:39am Sunrise: 7:03am Sunset: 8:02pm Twi A: 9:27pm Moonrise: 1:38am Moonset: 3:38pm
27 Twi A: 5:40am Sunrise: 7:04am Sunset: 8:01pm Twi A: 9:25pm Moonrise: 2:32am Moonset: 4:35pm
28 Twi A: 5:40am Sunrise: 7:05am Sunset: 8:00pm Twi A: 9:24pm Moonrise: 3:29am Moonset: 5:27pm
29 Twi A: 5:41am Sunrise: 7:05am Sunset: 7:58pm Twi A: 9:22pm Moonrise: 4:27am Moonset: 6:14pm
30 Twi A: 5:42am Sunrise: 7:06am Sunset: 7:57pm Twi A: 9:21pm Moonrise: 5:25am Moonset: 6:57pm
31 Twi A: 5:43am Sunrise: 7:06am Sunset: 7:56pm Twi A: 9:20pm Moonrise: 6:23am Moonset: 7:36pm
Daylight Saving/Summer Time is in effect for the entire month. Courtesy of www.SunriseSunset.com
Copyright © 2016 Steve Edwards. All rights reserved.
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August 2016 Moon Phases
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MECATX August 2016
Sky Charts
Remote Video Astronomy Group
(1) Microscopium (my-cruh-SCOPE-ee-um), the Microscope - August 04
(2) Capricornus (CAP-rih-CORN-us), the Fish-Goat – August 08
(3) Equuleus (eh-QUOO-lee-us), the Little Horse – August 08
(4) Indus (IN- dus), the Indian – August 12
(5) Aquarius (uh-QUAIR-ee-us), the Water Bearer – August 25
(6) Piscis Austrinus (PICE-iss-aw-STRY-nus), the Southern Fish – August 25
(7) Grus (GRUSS), the Crane (Brid) – August 28
(8) Lacerta (luh-SER-tuh), the Lizard - August 28
Revised by: Samantha Salvador 08.07.2016