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The August Sky

The Planet Jupiter simply dominates the early-evening eastern sky as August draws to a close. As seen by the naked eye, Jupiter appears as a gleaming yellowish pinpoint of light. High-power binoculars, if held steadily enough, can reveal a barely discernible disk flanked by up to four tiny "stars" in a straight line. Those are the four Galilean satellites, or moons, discovered and described in 1609 (almost exactly 400 years ago) by Galileo Galilei. A small telescope easily shows all four satellites, assuming one or more of them are not either directly in front of or behind Jupiter itself. Jupiter will remain a good telescopic target in the evening sky through the end of 2009.

Watchers of the Dawn Sky this weekend (August 28-30) will notice the bright, so-called winter stars -- especially those in the constellations of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini -- rising in the east just before first light. Currently the planet Venus is amid that group, blazing brighter than any true star of the nighttime sky. The reference to "winter stars" stems from the fact that these same constellations are prominent in the evening sky during the winter months.

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The Planet Jupiter simply dominates the early-evening eastern sky as August draws to a close. As seen by the naked eye, Jupiter appears as a gleaming yellowish pinpoint of light. High-power binoculars, if held steadily enough, can reveal a barely discernible disk flanked by up to four tiny "stars" in a straight line. Those are the four Galilean satellites, or moons, discovered and described in 1609 (almost exactly 400 years ago) by Galileo Galilei. A small telescope easily shows all four satellites, assuming one or more of them are not either directly in front of or behind Jupiter itself. Jupiter will remain a good telescopic target in the evening sky through the end of 2009.

Watchers of the Dawn Sky this weekend (August 28-30) will notice the bright, so-called winter stars -- especially those in the constellations of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini -- rising in the east just before first light. Currently the planet Venus is amid that group, blazing brighter than any true star of the nighttime sky. The reference to "winter stars" stems from the fact that these same constellations are prominent in the evening sky during the winter months.

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Aim your sights on the sky this month
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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