This Week's Sky at a Glance July 30 July 30 – August 8

This Week's Sky at a Glance
Some daily events in the changing sky for July 30 – August 8.
by Alan M. MacRobert
Fourplanets shine in the western twilight. One dazzles; the others appeartiny by comparison. Watch them changing positions day by day! (Thevisibility of faint objects in bright twilight is exaggerated here.)
Sky & Telescope diagram
Friday, July 30
As twilight fades, how soon canyou spot bright Venus in the west? How soon after that can you spotSaturn and Mars, much fainter, to Venus's upper right? This evening Marsis less than 2° below Saturn. Use binoculars to try for Mercury andfainter Regulus much farther to Venus's lower right.
Around 11 p.m. daylight-saving time, Jupiter rises roughly 6° lowerright of the waning Moon (for skywatchers in North America).
Saturday, July 31
Saturn and Mars remain close together upper left of Venus at dusk, as shown above.
Sunday, August 1
Bright Vega crossesnearest your zenith around 11 p.m. daylight-saving time, depending onhow far east or west you live in your time zone. Whenever Vega isnearest the zenith, you can count on the Teapot of Sagittarius, rich indeep-sky objects, to be at its highest in the south.
Monday, August 2
Last-quarter Moon tonight (exact at 12:59 a.m. Tuesday morning EDT).
Tuesday, August 3
Look east before dawn for the Pleiades 3° or 4° lower left of the waning Moon (as seen from North America).
Wednesday, August 4
Vega and Lyra shinevery high during evening for observers at mid-northern latitudes. Do youknow Lyra's two Messier objects? The Ring Nebula, M57, is familiar andeasy to find. But what about the globular cluster M56? See GarySeronik's Binocular Highlight article and chart in the AugustSky & Telescope, page 45.
Thursday, August 5
No less than eightglobular clusters pepper the area around the spout of the SagittariusTeapot. Ferret them out with your telescope these evenings using SueFrench's Deep-Sky Wonders column and chart in the AugustSky & Telescope, page 64.
Friday, August 6
Starting this evening,Mars and Saturn spend more than a week sliding just above brilliantVenus low in the west as twilight fades.
Saturday, August 7
Venus, Mars, and Saturnare gathered most tightly this evening, fitting in a circle 4.8— indiameter — just small enough to qualify as a "planetary trio," agrouping within a 5° circle.
Venus remains the bright landlark for shy Mars and Saturn after sunset.
Sky & Telescope diagram
Sunday, Aug. 8
Watch the Venus-Saturn-Marstriangle as it changes shape day by day in the western twilight. Spicatoo is now moving in on the scene from the left, as shown here. Can youalso make out Gamma Virginis, magnitude 2.7? For this one you'llprobably need binoculars.
Have you seen any earlyPerseid meteors yet? The peak of the annual shower is expected to arrivenext Thursday night, the night of August 12-13. Start planning now! Seeour articleDark Nights for the Perseids.