✨🌌 MESSIER 2 — GLOBULAR GLORY TONIGHT!
🗓 15 August 2025
📍 Visible from New Delhi: 20:03 – 04:37 IST
🔭 Messier 2 (NGC 7089)
A majestic globular cluster in Aquarius, glowing faintly at magnitude 6.6
🕓 Viewing Highlights:
🔸 Rises at 20:03 — 21° in the east
🔸 Peaks at 00:20, climbing 60° high in the southern sky
🔸 Sets around 04:37, 21° in the west
🌍 Visible between 69°N and 70°S —
a near-global treat from equatorial skies!
🔎 Needs binoculars or a small telescope to see
—but reveals a dazzling swarm of ancient stars ✨
Catch this cosmic fossil glowing
from 37,500 light-years away!
Local Time(IST): 23:29
Distance in km: 369,288 km at perigee
Distance in miles: 229,465
🌕 THE MOON AT PERIGEE
🌍 Closest to Earth – appearing slightly larger & brighter
✨ The Moon reaches its nearest point in orbit —
a mere 356,500 km away!
That’s about 50,000 km closer than at its farthest.
🌀 Why? The Moon’s orbit is an ellipse, not a perfect circle.
💫 Its distance varies monthly by 14%
📏 Angular size: Up to 33.5 arcminutes
🔦 Slight increase in brightness (though subtle to the eye)
🕓 This cycle from perigee to apogee and back takes
27.555 days — an anomalistic month
Look up — the Moon is closer than usual,
and the night sky is putting on a show!
“Activity Date: Jul 17-Aug 24
Maximum Date: Aug 12
Radiant Position: 48° +58°
Velocity: 59 km/s
ZHR: 100
Moon Phase Illumination: 84%
Parent Object: 109P/Swift-Tuttle
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 14 to September 1. They reach a strong maximum on August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal rates seen from rural locations range from 50-75 shower members per hour at maximum. The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity. In 2025, the waning gibbous moon will severely compromise this shower at the time of maximum activity. Such conditions will reduce activity by at least 75 percent as only the brighter meteors will be visible.”
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter – A Brilliant Dawn Encounter
On August 12, 2025, catch a breathtaking sight as Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, come into close conjunction—just 51 arcminutes apart—sharing the same right ascension in the constellation Gemini. Visible from New Delhi from 3:01 AM, the pair will rise high to 30° above the eastern horizon before fading into dawn around 5:30 AM. With Venus at magnitude –4.0 and Jupiter at –1.9, this radiant duo will light up the pre-dawn sky—perfect for viewing with the naked eye or binoculars.
Look up this 10th Aug
Asteroid 2 Pallas hits opposition in Delphinus, shining at its brightest of 2025!
📍 From New Delhi:
⏰ 8:04 PM – rises in the east
🌌 11:35 PM – highest in the south
🌅 4:24 AM – sets in the west
🔭 Mag 9.4 – binoculars/telescope needed.
Don’t miss this rare chance to spot our solar system’s second-largest asteroid!
🌕 FULL MOON – THE STURGEON MOON
🗓 09 August 2025 | 13:24 IST
✨ Rises at dusk, sets at dawn —
lighting up the night sky in its fullest glory!
🔭 Known as the “Sturgeon Moon” in the modern calendar,
a name popularized by the Farmers’ Almanac,
rooted (partially) in Native American lore.
🌾 Ancient traditions offer more:
— “Weed Month” (Weod-mōnaþ) in Saxon England
— “Harvest Month” (Aran-mānod) in Carolingian times
🗓 This is the second full moon after the June solstice,
a marker of late summer skies and seasonal change.
No matter the name, it’s a moon worth watching.
Step outside and bask in the glow of time and tradition!
Discovered on February 5, 1873, by C.H.F. Peters in Clinton, New York, Asteroid 129 Antigone is now at opposition — its brightest and closest to Earth. Named after the heroic figure from Greek mythology, Antigone symbolizes defiance, loyalty, and justice. Roughly 84 miles wide, this metallic asteroid completes its orbit every 4 years and 311 days. A striking blend of science and mythology, Antigone shines in the night sky, offering a unique observational opportunity.
Separation: Saturn and Neptune will share the same right ascension, with Saturn passing 1°08′ to the south of Neptune.
Visibility from New Delhi: The pair will be visible in the morning sky, becoming accessible around 23:12, when they reach an altitude of 21° above your eastern horizon. They will then reach their highest point in the sky at 03:30, 60° above your southern horizon. They will be lost to dawn twilight around 04:41, 56° above your south-western horizon.
Saturn will be at mag 0.6, and Neptune at mag 7.8.
Minimum Monthly Lunar Standstill
Experience a rare moment in the Moon’s journey — when its path in the sky reaches the least extreme position. This minimum lunar standstill marks a subtle but significant pause in the Moon’s monthly rhythm across the heavens.
The Moon passes just 0.6° north of Antares, the fiery heart of the Scorpius constellation. Witness this striking conjunction as lunar glow meets stellar brilliance in the southern sky
