The Magic of August Skies

 

DUKES FANS    

“You can never have too much sky. You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe when you are sad.” – Sandra Cisneros  

“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson  

THE AUGUST NIGHT SKY  

One of the many joys of the mid-late August camping trips my wife and I used to take was tent camping under the stars and the moon. We were able to view the night sky away from city lights and really see and feel them. There is an amazing deepness about being surrounded by and immersed in immensity of the sky. August night skies especially can be particularly wondrous, and we were always glad that we made August our time for our two weeklong camping trips. It was a totally refreshing and renewing way to end the summer vacations, and being aware of and close to the sky was an important part of that.   

This August has some wonderful opportunities for sky viewing. Last week we had a super moon, and I had the pleasure of coming back from gigs for two of the nights it was fully visible. It was stunning-orangish and majestic looking down on the world. I knew what Sandra Cisneros meant; I was drunk on that moon.   

I love the names we humans devise for things that happen in the sky. We see something spectacular, and we as a species just have to name it.  “New moons,” for example, are so called because they are closer to the earth than normal, and they look especially big and bright. It is as if the moon has been reborn. Humans from pre-historic times until now have always noticed and made a big deal about them, and they are often linked to occurrences on the earth. Last week’s was called by some, “the sturgeon moon” because its appearance coincides with the return of sturgeon to the Great Lakes. August 30 will be another new moon, and it will be called a"blue moon.” Having two new moons in the same month is rare, so it happens “once in a blue moon.” The last time this happened was in 2018, and the next time it will happen will be 2025. So it is uncommon, and we humans notice it and we must name it.  

August also means the return of the The Perseid meteor shower. Meteor showers fascinate me, and the Perseid were the first ones I ever intentionally watched. Camping meant we were able to watch them almost totally away from lights, and being able to do that was a stunning experience.   

The shower should be at its peak late night on August 12 and 13, and the sky is forecast to be moonlessly dark on those days. In early evening the meteors will be few, but those that do appear will be long, lovely Earth-grazers skimming far across the top of the atmosphere. As the nights progress, the meteors will become shorter and more numerous, and they will be most visible from midnight to dawn. If you wish to see them, I suggest you bring a reclining lawn chair to a dark, open spot where no local lights get in your eyes. You will probably see a meteor every minute or so and then more as night gets later. The best direction to look is wherever your sky is darkest. Here is a link to a site that as some suggested places from which to view the showers in each state:   

Exactly When To See The Perseid Meteor Shower Peak From Every U.S. State.   

  I hope you find plenty of opportunities to look up over the rest of the month. In the morning, mid-day, dusk, evenings, nights; just take a few minutes and look up. There is magic up there, and we are fortunate to be able to experience it by simply looking up.