Monday, August 26, 2024

Mars Passes the Crab Nebula (wee hours)

On the evenings surrounding Monday, August 26, the eastward orbital motion of Mars will carry it past the Crab Nebula supernova remnant (Messier 1) in Taurus, allowing both objects to share the view in a widefield telescope eyepiece from Sunday to Wednesday. At closest approach Mars will appear 1.1 degrees to the north of the nebula. For best results, use a large aperture telescope in a dark location, and make the attempt on Sunday or Monday -
before the waning crescent moon shines near them on Tuesday and Wednesday. Third Quarter Moon

The moon will complete three quarters of its orbit around Earth, measured from the previous new moon, on Monday, August 26 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, 2:26 a.m. PDT,
or 09:26 UT. At its third (or last) quarter phase, the moon appears half- illuminated, on its western, sunward side. It rises around midnight local
time, and then remains visible until it sets in the western daytime sky in early afternoon. Third quarter moons are positioned ahead of the Earth in our trip around the Sun. About 3 1/2 hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase are the best ones for observing deep sky targets.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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