Recently we talked about the planet Mercury transitioning to the morning sky and it has officially arrived. Look for the closest planet to the sun about an hour before sunrise in the eastern sky. The twins Castor and Pollux from the constellation Gemini will be just above and left of it. You’ll need a clear view of the horizon for the best show.
The First Quarter Moon arrives on Wednesday afternoon at 1:31 p.m. look for the half-moon in the evening.
Speaking of the moon, Jupiter has a date with it late in the week. On Friday night the waxing gibbous moon will be just above and left of the gas giant. Look in the South to southwestern sky in the evening to find the pair.
As I mentioned the moon is waxing which isn’t the greatest of news for what I consider the best meteor shower of the year. The Perseid meteor shower is an annual shower that peaks in early to mid-August. It’s official peak isn’t until early next week but the shower has a broad peak so you should be able to catch a few throughout the week. We’ll have more on the origins of this shower in next week’s Skywatch, just keep in mind you might be able to see a few Perseids in the coming days. Happy hunting!
