Aug 01 Su Venus: 33.1 E
Aug 01 Su 10:00 Mercury Superior Conj.
Aug 02 Mo 1:24 Saturn Opposition
Aug 08 Su 9:50 New Moon
Aug 11 We 3:00 Moon-Venus: 4.4 S
Aug 12 Th 15:11 Perseid Shower:Z HR = 90
Aug 15 Su 11:20 First Quarter
Aug 19 Th 19:05 Jupiter Opposition
Aug 22 Su 8:02 Full Moon
Aug 30 Mo 3:13 Last Quarter
As the dog days of summer began to give way to cooler temperatures, the Algonquin fishing tribes converged on the great lakes and other major bodies of water to fish for sturgeon: massive, prehistoric fish that can grow to more than 12 feet long. Because these fish were such an important part of the tribes' survival, August's full moon came to be known as the Full Sturgeon Moon.
Tribes who lived farther south knew it as the Full Red Moon, because the sultry haze of late summer made the moon appear reddish in color. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon, because late summer signified the beginning of the harvest, when food was put away for the cold months ahead.
August 12: The Perseids
Even casual skywatchers know about the Perseid meteor shower, because it can deliver at least one meteor per minute under pleasant summer skies. But the shower's peak performance is relatively brief, so timing is important. For North Americans, the shower's 2021 maximum should come on the evening of August 11th through the morning of the 12th. For North Americans, this shower can be enjoyed best as soon as its radiant (near the Double Cluster in Perseus) clears the northeastern horizon. This is also when you'll most likely see bright fireballs that skim Earth's atmosphere and create long, dramatic streaks in the sky. At that time the Moon will be a waxing thin crescent, so it will offer little interference. These meteors are bits of debris shed by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 130 years. Careful observers first realized that the Perseids are an annual event in the 1830s.
July 2021 has been a good month for solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 crossed multiple thresholds, including its first X-flare and 6 active regions on the solar disk. The last time so many sunspots were seen at the same time was Sept. 6, 2017. One far side CME was so strong it affected Earth despite being on the wrong side of the sun.
Two more private space companies flew human payloads into sub-orbital space in July. Virgin Galactic on July 11 and Blue Origin on July 20. This is the beginnings of Space Tourism! (Right now a mere Quarter Million a ticket)
