Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
August 24:
- DMNS Free Day: Free, in-person program at Denver Museum of Nature and Science: 9:00AM to close
- DAS E-Board Meeting: Online, member’s only event via Zoom (check Slack and membership email for details): 7:00PM
August 25:
- China’s Change 7 robotic mission to the moon is scheduled to launch this week between August 24 and August 31.
- The waxing gibbous Sturgeon Moon reaches aphelion, when it reaches its furthest point from the Sun (1.0131 AU) in its monthly orbit around the earth: 2:21PM
August 26:
- Look for Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn aligned in the morning sky. Find these three bright planets in the constellations Cancer, Gemini, and Pisces respectively — lined up along the ecliptic (the sun’s apparent path across Earth’s sky) just before sunrise.
August 27:
- Check out the partial eclipse of the Sturgeon Moon high in the southern sky in the constellation Aquarius. The eclipse will last from 7:25 through 1:02AM on the 28th. At maximum eclipse, 93% of the Moon’s disk will lie in shadow at will occur at 10:14PM.
- The Astro Society: Astronomy@250: The Life & Legacy of Dr. Nancy Grace Roman: Free, online event via Zoom (registration required): 6:00PM
- FREE Queso and Chips for the Full Moon from Qdoba (with the purchase of an entrée.
- Full Sturgeon Moon in the constellation Aquarius: 10:18PM
- The Moon reaches Ascending Node, as it moves from south to north of the Earth’s apparent plan around the sun in the Moon’s tilted orbit around the Earth.
- 🖥️ Standley Lake Stargazing: Weekly Livestream: Free Online program via Zoom: 6:00PM
- Northern Colorado Astronomical Society Star Party: Free, in-person event at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space (registration required): 8:30PM
- Mercury reaches superior conjunction with the Sun, as our innermost planet passes into the evening sky: 11:00AM
August 28:
- Catch Comet 10P/Tempel 2 low in the southern sky in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Fading after its August 2 perihelion and moves away from the sun in its 5+year orbit, 10P/Tempel 2 will be at a magnitude of 7.9 tonight. This comet can be spotted with binoculars and perhaps the naked eye under dark skies from sunset to about 5AM. Best around midnight.
August 29:
- Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries: Ticketed, in-person event at Fiske Planetarium (get tickets): 2:30PM
August 30:
- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. NASA’s next major space observatory, designed to survey the infrared universe with a field of view at least 100 times larger than Hubble’s will launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 5:26AM
This Week’s Solar System Summary:
- The Sun rises about 6:21 AM at the start of the week and about 6:27 AM by Sunday, while sunset shifts from 7:43 PM to 7:36 PM. Denver continues to lose roughly two to three minutes of daylight each day.
- The Moon rises in the morning at the start of the week and shifts into the afternoon and evening hours by the weekend, while moonset moves from the evening into the late evening and overnight hours.
- Venus remains the dominant evening planet, shining brightly in the western sky after sunset and setting around 10:30 PM.
- Mercury is now lost in the Sun’s glare and is not favorably placed for observation.
- Jupiter is emerging into the morning sky and becomes an increasingly worthwhile target before sunrise, though it remains low in the eastern sky.
- Saturn rises during the evening and is visible for most of the night. It continues to improve as a telescopic target as it approaches opposition next month.
- Mars remains a difficult morning target, rising before sunrise but still low in the eastern sky and increasingly challenging to pick out in the dawn twilight.
- Uranus rises during the late evening and is well placed for telescopic observation during the overnight and early morning hours.
- Neptune rises during the evening and is visible through most of the night. It is approaching its September 26 opposition, so this is a good time to begin tracking 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.
- Anthelion (ANT): 2:00 AM in Aquarius: About 2–3 per hour
- κ-Cygnids (KCG): 11:00 PM in Cygnus: About 1 per hour
- Perseids (PER): 6:00 AM in Perseus: Less than 1 per hour
- ζ-Draconids (ZDR): Midnight in Cygnus: Less than 1 per hour. Peak: August 26
- η-Eridanids (ERI): 5:00 AM in Eridanus: About 1 per hour
- Southern δ-Aquariids (SDA): 3:00 AM in Aquarius: Less than 1 per hour
- August β-Piscids (BPI): 3:00 AM in Pisces: 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
