GARRETT COUNTY SKIES
By Dr. Bob Doyle, Frostburg State Planetarium

Doyle writes this column for those who would like to identify the brightest stars, planets and sights in their backyards. To ask questions or get a planetarium brochure, call Dr. Doyle at (301) 687-7799 .



 AUGUST 2008 SUN - As August opens, the sun is in the star group Cancer where it stays through the early hours of August 10th. The sun then crosses into Leo, where it remains through Mid September. (These dates are based on the actual star group boundaries and sun's position, not the 2500 year old dates used by Western astrologers.) The amount of daily sunlight in August changes by more than an hour; early August has 14.2 hours of daylight while the end of August has 13.1 sunlight hours. Sunrises in Oakland in early August are about 6:20 a.m., advancing to 6:45 p.m. at month's end. Sunsets in Oakland in early August are about 8:30 p.m., dropping to 7:50 p.m. in late August. During August the sun's peak height at mid day decreases from 68 to 58 degrees. At dawn the morning stars begin to fade away around 5:30 a.m. while evening stars first appear about 9:15 p.m.

AUGUST 2008 MOON - Low in the western dusk, a slender crescent moon reappears near the planets Saturn and Mars on August 3rd. The evening moon grows to half full on August 8th (like a "D"), offering the best views of its craters and mountains through binoculars. The nearly full moon appears near the bright planet Jupiter on the evenings of August 12th and 13th. The evening moon grows to full on August 16th, rising as the sun sets and hanging in the sky all through the night. In the last ten days of August, the moon is an morning sky object, appearing half full in the southern dawn on August 23rd.

THE BRIGHT PLANETS IN AUGUST 2008 - Our five nearest planetary neighbors appear as points of light that shine steadily, unlike the bright night stars that twinkle. The brightest planet Venus is at a low angle to the sun and may be briefly glimpsed a half hour after sunset (9 p.m. in early August, 8:45 p.m. in mid August and 8:20 p.m. in late August.) Mercury be seen low in the western dusk in the second half of August, appearing near brilliant Venus then. As it gets dark, the planet Mars shines dimly in eastern Virgo. To the right of Mars is the brighter planet Saturn. In mid August, Venus passes by Saturn. Low in the southern evening sky is the very bright planet Jupiter. Binoculars held steadily will reveal Jupiter's big moons as tiny points near Jupiter that change their positions from night to night. So August is a month when one may see all five bright planets in the evening sky, if one finds a place with a flat western horizon; try looking in mid August a half hour after sunset (when Saturn, Venus and Mercury are then close).

THE EVENING STARS IN AUGUST - The Big Dipper is easily viewed in the North Northwest with its two bottom stars pointing right and upwards towards the North Star. The handle of the Big Dipper can be extended leftward to the bright golden star Arcturus. High in the East is the white-blue star Vega, matching Arcturus in brightness. Vega is the top star of the Summer Triangle. On moonless nights, the gentle glow of the Milky Way can be seen running through the lower part of the Triangle. To the right of the bright planet Jupiter is the Scorpion, whose brighter stars form a letter "J", low in the South.