Astronomers estimate there are more than 100 billion galaxies in the universe. One has to be the brightest, and the current frontrunner is a galaxy 12.5 billion light years from Earth that is as bright as 300 trillion stars. It was discovered by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
At the heart of the galaxy is a supermassive black hole that gobbles up unimaginably huge amount of gas and other matter while emitting vast amount of visible, ultraviolet and X-ray energy.
This heats a surrounding dust cloud to tremendous temperatures, which is the source of the infrared energy. This, however, presents another problem because the black hole formed about 1.3 billion years after the Big Bang. How the black hole managed to get so big in such a brief period of time perplexes astronomers.
Focus on the planets
Mercury rises in the west to the lower right of Jupiter. However it is so low to the horizon that it will be all but invisible except under ideal conditions. The best chance to spot the elusive inner planet is later in the month.
Venus is low in the west at sunset and sets less than an hour later. The opening of the month is the best time to see Venus, as it sparkles through the twilight before disappearing at mid-month.
Mars rises in the east-northeast about an hour and a half before sunrise. Use binoculars or a telescope to spot the dim red planet low on the horizon just below the twin stars of Castor and Pollux.
Jupiter sets less than an hour after the sun during the first week of August. Look for the giant planet a half-hour after sunset in the west, where it is just to the lower left of Mercury. Neither planet will be easy to spot in the glow of twilight.
Saturn is the brightest planet of the month and can be spotted one-third of the way up on the horizon in the west-southwestern as darkness falls. It remains in view until well after midnight with its magnificent ring system open for viewing.
Uranus is high in the at morning twilight where its distinctive blue-green disk may be spotted by binoculars.
Neptune rises at sunset and is best viewed after midnight. Neptune’s blue-gray disk is high in the south-southeast among the stars of Aquarius.
August events
1: Sunrise, 5:21 a.m.; sunset, 8:02 p.m. Today is Lammas, a cross-quarter day marking the midpoint between the summer solstice and fall equinox. Looking to the south after darkness falls, Saturn is well up on the horizon to the upper right of orange Antares.
2: The moon is at perigee or closest approach to Earth.
5: Uranus stands directly above the moon at dawn.
6: Last quarter moon, 10:03 p.m.
8: Mars lies about a quarter of the way up on the eastern horizon 45 minutes before dawn. The Twins, Castor and Pollux, are directly above.
11: The sun enters Leo on the ecliptic.
13: This is the peak night for the Perseid meteor shower. Conditions are favorable with the new moon occurring on Aug. 14. Viewers can expect up to 100 meteors per hour originating from the vicinity of Polaris. Best time is around 2:00 a.m with a few brilliant fireballs interspersed with normal meteors.
14: New moon, 10:53 a.m.
17: The moon is at apogee, or farthest distance from Earth.
22: First quarter moon, 3:31 p.m. Saturn lies to the lower right of the moon tonight.
23: The sun enters the astrological sign of Virgo.
29: Full moon, 2:35 p.m. The full moon of August is known as the Sturgeon Moon, Green Corn Moon, or Thunder Moon.
30: The moon is at perigee for the second time this month.
31: Sunrise, 5:56 a.m.; sunset, 7:15 p.m.
Send astronomical queries to Clair Wood at cgmewood@aol.com.