EarthSky News - Aug 13 - Top Stories This Week

August 13 Top Stories This Week by:

Eclipse day checklist Plan the perfect total solar eclipse experience. The only other thing you’ll need is perfect weather on August 21! Moon on its way to the eclipse Sky insights and charts help you see the moon now, and picture it on its way to the August 21 total solar eclipse. See it! 2017's Perseid meteor shower Despite a bright moon, the brightest Perseids put on a good show. See photos from the EarthSky community here. Perseid meteor stream in space Spectacular visualization using NASA data. Largest-ever Gulf of Mexico dead zone For 32 years, scientists have tracked the dead zones that appear each summer in the Gulf. This year's is the biggest yet. 4 Earth-sized planets found at nearest sunlike star Nearest sunlike star, Tau Ceti, is now known to have at least 4 Earth-sized planets orbiting it. Did you miss Monday night's lunar eclipse? We in the Americas missed the August 7 partial lunar eclipse. See it in these awesome photos from EarthSky friends. Why no eclipse at every new and full moon? In 2017, there are 12 full moons and 12 new moons, but only 4 eclipses - 2 lunar and 2 solar. Tonight … Ophiuchus is part of the zodiac, too The sun is in front of the constellation Ophiuchus from about November 30 to December 18. Look for it in the southwest sky on August and September evenings.

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Tonight … Ophiuchus is part of the zodiac, too Ophiuchus is a giant star figure, and you need a dark sky to see it. Notice Saturn!

Anticrepuscular rays Laura Bavetz wrote, “I've seen anticrepuscular rays before, but this is the first time I've been able to capture them.” Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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EarthSky News - Aug 12 - Largest-Ever Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone

August 12 Largest-Ever Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone by:

Largest-ever Gulf of Mexico dead zone For 32 years, scientists have tracked the oxygen-depleted waters that appear each summer in the Gulf of Mexico. This year's dead zone is the biggest yet. Moon on its way to the eclipse Sky insights and charts from astronomer Guy Ottewell that can help you see the moon now, and picture it on its way to the August 21 total solar eclipse! Tonight … Starhop to Perseid meteor radiant As you watch Perseid shower, see if you can star-hop to the Double Cluster. It nearly coincides with the Perseids' radiant point. Star of the week: Altair, bright star of the Eagle Altair needs only 10 hours to spin once on its axis, in contrast to roughly a month for our sun.

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Moon on its way to the eclipse Watch the moon, between midnight and dawn, in the coming mornings. It's moving toward the total solar eclipse! Chart via Guy Ottewell.

Meteor in moonlight Jarred Donkersley captured this meteor on August 5 around midnight, from Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona, with a nearly full moon in the sky. He wrote: "I was in the middle of a long exposure, just chatting with some friends. We noticed a flash and looked up to see this long burner..." Submit your photo to EarthSky here!

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