Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
August 17:
- 🛰️ Get a glimpse of the ISS passing across Denver’s pre-dawn sky. The International Space Station will move swiftly across the sky from the southwest to the northeast between 5:27 and 05:33AM
August 18:
- ☄️ κ-Cygnid meteor shower peaks with their radiant near the border of Cygnus and Draco and high in the northern sky. Expect up to 3 meteors per hour at peak from 10:00PM until dawn.
August 19:
- 🖥️ DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – Advanced Image Processing: Free, member’s only virtual meeting via Zoom (check Slack and membership email for details): 7:00PM
- 🌓 First quarter Sturgeon Moon in the constellation Libra: 8:46PM
August 20:
- 👀 Check out the waxing gibbous Sturgeon Moon near Antares, the bright red alpha star marking the heart of the scorpion in Scorpius in the southern sky around 9:00PM
- 🖥️ Standley Lake Stargazing: Weekly Livestream: Free Online program via Zoom: 6:00PM
August 21:
- 🔭 Sommers-Bausch Observatory Open House: Free, in-person event at 📍Sommers-Bausch Observatory: 9:00PM
- 🔭 Berthoud Observatory Public Star Night: Free, in-person event at 📍Little Thompson Observatory: 7:00PM
August 22:
- 🌔 The waxing gibbous Sturgeon Moon reaches apogee, its farthest distance from Earth at 404,642km: 3:00AM
- 🔭 Loveland Star Party: Free, in-person event at 📍Prairie Ridge Natural Center (Registration required): 8:00PM
August 23:
- 👀 Look for the waxing gibbous Sturgeon Moon near the handle of the Teapot, the bright asterism in the constellation Sagittarius in the southern sky around 9:00PM.
This Week’s Solar System Summary:
- The Sun rises about 6:18 AM at the start of the week and about 6:24 AM by Sunday, while sunset shifts from 7:51 PM to 7:43 PM. Daylight continues to decrease as summer winds down.
- The Moon rises in the late evening at the start of the week and shifts into the overnight and early morning hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the afternoon into the evening.
- Venus remains the brightest planet in the evening sky, shining low in the west after sunset and setting between about 10:45 PM and 11:00 PM.
- Mercury remains well placed in the predawn sky following its greatest western elongation, although it is gradually moving back toward the Sun. Look for it low in the east before sunrise.
- Jupiter continues to climb higher in the morning sky and is becoming an increasingly prominent predawn target in the east.
- Saturn rises before sunset and remains visible throughout most of the night. It is well placed for telescopic observation during the evening and overnight hours.
- Mars remains low in the eastern morning sky and is still a difficult target in the bright dawn twilight.
- Uranus rises before midnight and is well placed for telescopic observation during the late-night and early-morning hours.
- Neptune is nearing opposition and is visible most of the night, making this an increasingly favorable time to observe it with a telescope.
This Week’s Meteoric Activity:
You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.
- κ-Cygnids (KCG): 11:00 PM in northern Cygnus: About 3 per hour. Peak: August 17
- Perseids (PER): 6:00 AM in Perseus: About 2 per hour
- Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in Aquarius: About 2 per hour
- ζ-Draconids (ZDR): 9:00 PM in Draco: Less than 1 per hour
- Southern δ-Aquariids (SDA): 3:00 AM in Aquarius: Less than 1 per hour
- η-Eridanids (ERI): 4:00 AM in southern Cetus: Less than 1 per hour
Check Out These Helpful Guides from DAS:
- Where to Explore the 2026 Denver Night Skies
- When to Explore the 2026 Denver Night Skies
- What to Explore in the 2026 Denver Night Skies
Sky Map
- A pdf map of the night sky can be found at https://www.skymaps.com/skymaps
