Milky Way Viewing at Its Best
The Milky Way appears at its most glorious during August and September evenings free of moonlight (this year, the most favorable evenings occur from August 30 through September 11). You'll need to be in the mountains or the desert to …
Warm Water, Shore Birds, and Jasmine
Warm Water Temperatures, into the 70s Fahrenheit over the past several weeks, won't last much longer. As fall approaches, shorter days and increasingly oblique solar radiation will mean that less and less energy will be supplied to the ocean waters …
Grunion Runs and a Full Moon
Grunion Runs are predicted to occur during the late evening hours (generally after 10pm and before 1am), following the nocturnal high tide, August 24 though August 26. The small, silvery grunion tend to spawn on wide, gently sloping beaches such …
Venus's Elongation and the Effect of Thunderstorms on Ocotillos
Venus, the lanternlike planet shining in the west after sunset, reaches greatest elongation from the sun on Thursday, August 19. That means the planet is illuminated from the side by the sun, as seen from Earth’s perspective. Turn a small …
Warm Air, Warm Water, and Sandpipers
San Diego's Warmest Weather, on average, should occur in August through early September, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents enjoy an average daily temperature …
The Perseid Meteor Shower, Venus, Mars, and Saturn
The Perseid Meteor Shower, the best known of the many meteor displays that return annually, will take place under optimum (moon-glare-free) conditions this year. During the hours between midnight and dawn (approximately 4:30am) on the mornings of Thursday, August 12 …
Low Tides and Grunion Rides
Extreme Low Tides early next week (the lowest levels for the month of August) occur during the wee hours of the morning. Monday, August 9 features a -1.3 foot tide at 3:27am. On Tuesday, there's a -1.3 foot low tide …
So-Called Winter Stars
Watchers of the Dawn Sky early this month will notice the bright, so-called winter stars (especially those in the constellations of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini) rising just above the rosy glow of morning twilight. The waning crescent moon is currently …