The Planets
Planet Data For August
Click on any planet below to go straight to its section.
The table below shows key data for the planets this month, including rise, transit and set times, as well as magnitude, apparent size and position data (right ascension and declination).
Events that occur when the sun is below the horizon are shown with a black background and white text. All other events happen when the sun is in the sky and other for not visible for observation.
August delivers some fabulous early morning planetary viewing for Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Only Mars is an evening planet and it is rapidly fading from view altogether.
All of the images below can be opened full screen in a new tab by clicking on them
Mercury
05th August
We’re going to get good views of Mercury later this month, but it’s too close to the sun before sunrise to be observed.
15th August
At 6am – half an hour before sunrise – Mercury is 9° high in the east.
25th August
Ten days later, little has changed although the very best day for observing the smallest planet has now passed.
Maximum elongation for Mercury, when it’s furthest from the sun in our sky, happens on August 19th. For a week either side of that date, we get great viewing opportunities, thanks to an upright ecliptic.
Your eyepiece will reveal a shrinking disc that’s only a quarter illuminated by the sun.
Venus
05th August
At 5am, before the early dawn, bright Venus is 16° over the eastern horizon in Gemini with Jupiter nearby.
15th August
Jupiter has passed Venus at the same time ten days later and is slightly lower in the sky.
25th August
At just 11° high now, Venus is noticeably heading back towards the horizon.
The Venusian disc shrinks by a couple of arcseconds this month, but its surface becomes more illuminated – from 75% to 84% – as it travels further away and angles behind the sun.
It’s easy enough to see all month, shining at magnitude -4 in the eastern sky near Jupiter before sunrise.
Mars
05th August
We’re losing Mars now as it slowly moves towards the sun. This evening at 9pm, it’s 15° over the western horizon.
15th August
Ten days later, at the same time, the Red Planet is just 11° above the horizon.
25th August
As the month comes to an end, we need to be looking at 8:30 to see it 12° over the horizon.
Mars is disappearing from view as it travels closer to the sun. By the end of August, we’ll only be able to see it low on the horizon in the west after the sky gets dark. By the end of September, we won’t be able to see it at all because it’ll be too close to our star.
As it is, training your telescope on it this month reveals very little in the way of details, now that the disc is only four arcseconds wide.
Jupiter
05th August
In the early hours just before dawn, Jupiter is bright and readily observable in the east.
15th August
At 5:30, two of the brightest objects in the night sky, Jupiter and Venus, hang together in Gemini.
25th August
Jupiter is 28° high at the same time now, making it very enjoyable to see as sunrise gets later.
Our most giant planet is coming back into spectacular view again this month, for those of us prepared to get outside early in the morning.
Look east before dawn breaks and see both Jupiter and Venus in Gemini for most of this month. Jupiter’s disc and brightness grow slightly this month as it begins coming closer to us after its trip around the back of the sun.
Saturn
05th August
At 5:30 Saturn is midway between the horizon and zenith (overhead) making it very observable.
15th August
The picture is little changed ten days later.
25th August
At the end of the month, we can still see the Ringed Planet high in the southwest before dawn.
Saturn has ventured back into truly dark skies and is high in the sky before dawn begins to break.
Uranus & Neptune
15th August – Uranus
Uranus is near the Pleiades in the middle of the month, although the moon spoils the view. However, we can see it before dawn earlier in the month in a similar position without the moon’s interference.
15th August – Neptune
Also at 5:30 in the morning, Neptune is on the opposite side of the sky and remarkably close to Saturn.
Both ice giants are readily visible in the early morning before dawn.
All Planets Viewer
Use the table below to see when each of the planets is observable for each day this month. Click on it for full screen.
A planet is classed as observable when it is more than 10° above the horizon and the sky is dark enough for it to be observed.
Planet ephemeris tables produced with the kind permission of Dominic Ford. Sky images are courtesy of SkySafari Pro 6.