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<v Speaker 1>I'm Doctor Sky and welcome to the Doctor Sky Experience,

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<v Speaker 1>heard exclusively here on talk radio seventy seven WABC. The

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<v Speaker 1>Doctor Sky Experience, if you're a new listener, incorporates the

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<v Speaker 1>great realms of astronomy, space, aviation, weather, we mix and

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<v Speaker 1>celebrity guests and stories of American exceptionalism.

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<v Speaker 2>Our show.

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<v Speaker 1>We appreciate you listening his Friday evenings midnight to two

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<v Speaker 1>am Saturday Eastern daylight time and again on Saturday midnight

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<v Speaker 1>to two am Sunday Eastern daylight time with great realms

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<v Speaker 1>as you tell us, and great guests and information from

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<v Speaker 1>the realms of astronomy, space, aviation, weather, and that.

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<v Speaker 2>Of American exceptionalism.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's now dig deep into month August twenty twenty six,

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<v Speaker 1>an incredible month for skywatchers. August twenty twenty six brings

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<v Speaker 1>us as we can begin and talk about the moon.

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<v Speaker 1>As we open up the month of August, we find

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<v Speaker 1>out that the moon is moving on as a waning

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<v Speaker 1>gibbus subject meaning it's moving on to its last quarter phase.

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<v Speaker 1>On the sixth of August, it rises around midnight and

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<v Speaker 1>is high up in your southern sky or thereabouts.

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<v Speaker 2>At around sunrise.

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<v Speaker 1>The moon continues to wane and moves on to its

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<v Speaker 1>new phase, and that happens on the twelfth of August.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's a good reason to talk about this particular

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<v Speaker 1>new moon because it coincides with one of the best

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<v Speaker 1>medio showers of the entire year. But as we always say,

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<v Speaker 1>be careful what you wish for, because the information I'm

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<v Speaker 1>giving you here is the best estimate of these very

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<v Speaker 1>fickle events called meteor showers, but some of them can

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<v Speaker 1>be quite spectacular. The moon then moves on past the

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<v Speaker 1>twelfth as it waxes once again in our sky. It

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<v Speaker 1>then moves on to first quarter on August the twentieth,

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<v Speaker 1>and then the last full moon that we'll talk about

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<v Speaker 1>for the month of August, which there is one, occurs

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<v Speaker 1>only twenty eight But what's interesting if you look into

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<v Speaker 1>your August guys, get set for the persead meteor show

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<v Speaker 1>a little back history on.

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<v Speaker 2>It's an event that it's been observed for a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of hundred years.

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<v Speaker 1>And why do I say this, Because all of the

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<v Speaker 1>meteor showers come from the debris from comets, and the

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<v Speaker 1>perseods are known to be debris like the exhaust out

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<v Speaker 1>of a vehicle. Whether it's diesel or gas powered from

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<v Speaker 1>a comet called Swift Tuttel, and the comet itself the

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<v Speaker 1>origin of the perseods. The comet goes around the Sun

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<v Speaker 1>wants every one hundred and thirty three years, so as

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<v Speaker 1>you can imagine, when the orbit of this particular comet

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<v Speaker 1>intersects with the Earth, all that debris that's been been

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<v Speaker 1>pumped out from the tail of the comet over the

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<v Speaker 1>course of centuries intersects with the Earth. Just like you're

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<v Speaker 1>driving on two interstates, let's say, or one interstate where

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<v Speaker 1>they could both collide, and of course you don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to have any problem that way, but it's just a

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<v Speaker 1>good illustration because when on one highway that's the commentary debris,

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<v Speaker 1>and on the other highway you would find that of

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<v Speaker 1>the debris moving through and you're moving unplanted earth. Percyads

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<v Speaker 1>can be very fickle, but they can be very good.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's when we think that as astronomers, the peak

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<v Speaker 1>of the shower occurs looking high into the northeast sky.

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<v Speaker 1>My best guess inmate would be the nights of August

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<v Speaker 1>eleventh and into the morning of the twelfth, and then

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<v Speaker 1>once again on the evening of the twelfth into the

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<v Speaker 1>morning of the thirteenth. Some say that peak activity of

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty twenty sixth Percions will occur on the morning

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<v Speaker 1>hours of the thirteenth.

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<v Speaker 2>But here's how to see it.

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<v Speaker 1>Get comfortable, get a chair and hopefully you'll have clear skies.

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<v Speaker 1>Look to the northeast sky after midnight till sunrise.

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<v Speaker 2>Now, with the.

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<v Speaker 1>Lots of heat in the northern hemisphere, that should be

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<v Speaker 1>a pleasure to sit outside when it's a little bit cooler,

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<v Speaker 1>other than being out during the blazing days of the sunlight.

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<v Speaker 2>These meteors can be very interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>They come out from the top portion of the head

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<v Speaker 1>of a constellation called Perseus, the hero. Yes, he's the

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<v Speaker 1>guy that slays of course, the dragon. At least she

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<v Speaker 1>looked like a dragon when we saw Medusa with her

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<v Speaker 1>hair full of snakes. He of course, in mythology, that's

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<v Speaker 1>a big part. So the Percied meteor shower can be good.

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<v Speaker 1>I've watched it for forty years and I can tell

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<v Speaker 1>you categorically, during the mid and early nineties we had

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<v Speaker 1>a real sky show that Percy Is where we saw

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<v Speaker 1>hundreds of meteors per hour. So your goal is to

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<v Speaker 1>find a dark location hopefully clear, no no smell clouds

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<v Speaker 1>on the sky, and you should be able to get

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<v Speaker 1>to see some of these so called shooting stars. These

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<v Speaker 1>are interesting. They're not shooting stars at all, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>debriathed from the things I mentioned before, the tail.

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<v Speaker 2>End of a comet, the average size.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're a fan of a cereal called grape nuts,

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<v Speaker 1>they would be particles the size of the little grape nut,

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<v Speaker 1>little pellets, and maybe some larger, but none hit the earth.

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<v Speaker 1>They're traveling it over one hundred and thirty thousand miles

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<v Speaker 1>an hour, and when you see them, so called incinerating

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<v Speaker 1>in the sky, they give you a very interesting sky show.

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<v Speaker 2>So hopefully you'll have.

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<v Speaker 1>Some observations of the perseods. The reason I mentioned it

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<v Speaker 1>so many people take vacations this time of year, so

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<v Speaker 1>enjoy the perseods as many other meteor showers. But again

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<v Speaker 1>a doctor sky warning, and always honest, you never really

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<v Speaker 1>can tell how many you see. And boy do I

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<v Speaker 1>get in trouble sometimes when I tell people you'll be

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<v Speaker 1>ready to see one of the best meteor showers of

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<v Speaker 1>the year, get set and then all of a sudden

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<v Speaker 1>things happen. An astronomer named David Levy, who's discovered many

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<v Speaker 1>many comets. He descries comets like cats, and the reason

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<v Speaker 1>I mention this it also relates very well to meteor showers.

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<v Speaker 1>And he says, and I quote, that comets are like cats.

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<v Speaker 1>They both have tails, and they do exactly what they want.

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<v Speaker 1>And so be it with the perseeds. Let's move on

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<v Speaker 1>to planets. If you're an early morning riser, the innermost

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<v Speaker 1>planet Mercury is visible tour in the early morning powers,

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<v Speaker 1>which reaches a distance of almost twenty degrees away from

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<v Speaker 1>the rising Sun. It's called Mercury's westernmost elongation. Now, remember

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<v Speaker 1>inferior or planet's not because we don't like them. Mercury

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<v Speaker 1>and Venus because they're closer in than the Earth is.

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<v Speaker 2>They can only.

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<v Speaker 1>Subtend an angle so far away from the Sun because

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<v Speaker 1>of their orbits. So Mercury can get twenty plus degrees

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<v Speaker 1>away from Sun, Venus forty six or forty seven degrees.

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<v Speaker 2>But take a look. I think you'll enjoy it.

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<v Speaker 1>And then we find out the other planet that's in

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<v Speaker 1>the early evening sky still is the planet Venus, the

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<v Speaker 1>goddess of love and beauty. Venus reaches a position called dichotomy.

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<v Speaker 1>Now what does that fancy term mean. It means in

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<v Speaker 1>a telescope, you'll see it half illuminated, like a first

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<v Speaker 1>quarter moon, or like a last quarter moon. And now

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<v Speaker 1>some seventy million miles away. So when you see that

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<v Speaker 1>big blazing object in the northwest, no, it's not a

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<v Speaker 1>UAP or a UFO. It's the planet Venus and the

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<v Speaker 1>reason and it's so bright. And you probably knew this,

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<v Speaker 1>but I'll tell you anyway. The amount of light that

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<v Speaker 1>a planet receives and the amount of light it reflects

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<v Speaker 1>into space is a term called albedo. And since Venus

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<v Speaker 1>is covered in heavy clouds, the reflectivity of that with

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<v Speaker 1>the clouds makes Venus extremely bright. Remember, she is the

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<v Speaker 1>goddess of love and beauty. She obviously many people's estimations,

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<v Speaker 1>is the eternal narcissist because of her beauty. Why do

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<v Speaker 1>I say that, Because if you look at the planetary symbols,

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<v Speaker 1>Venus has the very interesting planetary sign of a hand

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<v Speaker 1>mirror where she continues to look at her beauty. So

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<v Speaker 1>take a look at Venus. Then it will slowly, during

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<v Speaker 1>the next few months, start to move in closer to

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<v Speaker 1>the Sun as it makes its way around the planetary

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<v Speaker 1>orbit number two away from the Sun. And what's really

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<v Speaker 1>interesting is that those planets, like I mentioned before, were

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<v Speaker 1>too easy.

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<v Speaker 2>Planets to see.

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<v Speaker 1>But we also find out that in the morning sky

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<v Speaker 1>there's Mars, there's Saturn. We'll talk about that in future

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<v Speaker 1>editions of the Doctor Sky Experience. But here's some other

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<v Speaker 1>interesting things that I wanted to mention. If you're fortunate enough,

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<v Speaker 1>and you may already be going there, there'll be a

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<v Speaker 1>total solar eclipse. Remember those. We haven't had a really

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<v Speaker 1>good one here in the United States since August the

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<v Speaker 1>eighth of twenty twenty four. And if you saw that,

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<v Speaker 1>hopefully you're addicted to these total eclipses of the Sun.

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<v Speaker 1>They're that interesting and they're that addictive for lucky observers.

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<v Speaker 1>Starting off in Greenland, maybe not because it's so cold

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<v Speaker 1>and cloudy, the panthertotality moves along across Iceland, and then

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<v Speaker 1>it makes its way as it arcs across the ocean,

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<v Speaker 1>it touches the nation of Spain. So in the late afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>people on the twelfth of August will get to see

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<v Speaker 1>a short, but hopefully beautiful total eclipse of the Sun. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>I save the best for last because less than a

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<v Speaker 1>year from now, the longest total solar eclipse in our lifetime,

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<v Speaker 1>that is, at least anywhere if you're one hundred years old,

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<v Speaker 1>God bless you. August two, twenty seven, we get the

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<v Speaker 1>longest total solar eclips Now, I'm gonna mention this, and

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<v Speaker 1>I'll be doing this a lot to update you throughout.

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<v Speaker 2>The next Doctor Sky updates.

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<v Speaker 1>This particular event best seen in an area called Luxor

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<v Speaker 1>in Egypt, the Valley of the Gods, the Great Pyramids.

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<v Speaker 2>Can you imagine being like in an Indiana Jones kind.

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<v Speaker 1>Of movie set, seeing these great pyramids, these great tributes

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<v Speaker 1>to the Egyptian civilization, the mystery of the Pyramids, and

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<v Speaker 1>also experiencing one of the greatest total solar eclipses, lasting

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<v Speaker 1>well over six minutes. Now, just to be precise total

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<v Speaker 1>solar eclipses, the maximum you can ever get is like

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<v Speaker 1>some seven minutes and maybe a little over thirty seconds.

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<v Speaker 1>So the eclipse that you'll see in Spain, if you're

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<v Speaker 1>going there, will only be a couple of minutes. So

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<v Speaker 1>mark your calendars if you feel that you want to

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<v Speaker 1>go there. I'm sure by now, as of this report

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<v Speaker 1>August twenty twenty six. Who knows, maybe the rooms are booked,

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<v Speaker 1>but there's always hope if you'd like to see one

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<v Speaker 1>of the greatest spectacles in nature. Believe me, I've seen

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<v Speaker 1>seven and I'm fortunate that I have traveled to all

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<v Speaker 1>of these. Yeah, it's not cheap, but it's a memory

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<v Speaker 1>that'll last a lifetime. I don't forget a really good

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity if you're not able to see that total eclipse

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<v Speaker 1>of the Sun and travel and the Persian meteor shower

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<v Speaker 1>as a prelude to the percy of meteor shower just

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<v Speaker 1>around New moontime, remember the twelfth of August, before the

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<v Speaker 1>meteors get under weigh. If in a clear sky look

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<v Speaker 1>to the southern sky by around nine p m. You

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<v Speaker 1>will not be disappointed. In a clear moonless sky, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>be looking deep into the Milky Way. The constellation of Scorpius,

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<v Speaker 1>the constellation Sagittarius, and the star clouds that lie there.

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<v Speaker 1>Twenty seven thousand light years away is the core of

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<v Speaker 1>our big Milky Way galaxy. Binoculars in hand, Yes, folks,

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<v Speaker 1>even with the naked eye, you get to see these

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<v Speaker 1>billions of stars and the star clouds of the Milky Way.

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<v Speaker 1>My email drsky at wabcradio dot com. Now we do

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<v Speaker 1>appreciate you, and I do look forward to explaining the

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<v Speaker 1>wonders of the mysteries of the universe on the dartest

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<v Speaker 1>guy experience here on this powerhouse blow torch signal. Why

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<v Speaker 1>Talk Radio seventy seven WABC, well over one hundred years,

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<v Speaker 1>with great hosts and ladies and gentlemen, an opportunity for

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<v Speaker 1>you to partake in what I call our show, a

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<v Speaker 1>theater of the mind where we love critical thinking and

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<v Speaker 1>dialogue with you. Clear skies, good health, and always remember

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<v Speaker 1>to keep your eyes to the skies.