Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.
August 18:
Catch the waning crescent Strugeon Moon next to a trio of open clusters in Auriga—M36, a compact cluster about 4,100 light-years away with roughly 60 hot, young blue stars; M37, the brightest and richest of the three, boasting several hundred stars and a sprinkling of striking red giants about 4,500 light-years distant; and M38, a looser, X-shaped cluster about 4,200 light-years away that contains dozens of stars of varying brightness, offering a gorgeous contrast in the eyepiece: 4:00 AM
August 19:
Look for the slender crescent Sturgeon Moon sharing the constellation Gemini with a host of other bright objects—brilliant Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system glowing steadily white; dazzling Venus, the brightest planet, shining like a tiny beacon in the evening sky; and the constellation’s twin jewels, Castor, a white multiple star system about 51 light-years away, and Pollux, a golden-hued giant star roughly 34 light-years distant and the brightest star in Gemini: 4:00 AM
Mercury reaches its westernmost elongation: 4:00 AM
August 20:
Check out the waning crescent Sturgeon Moon resting between Venus and Pollux—Venus, the dazzling “Evening Star” and brightest planet in our sky, and Pollux, a warm golden giant star about 34 light-years away that marks the head of the twin in the constellation Gemini.…
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