August will be busy month with two full moons, a meteor shower, the return of Orion, the Milky Way is still visible and some important rocket launches scheduled.
Two Full Moons
August will feature not one but two full moons. The Sturgeon Moon will rise on Tuesday, August 1st. On Wednesday, August 30th an even closer, rare blue moon will be visible in the sky.
Perseids Meteor Shower
The Perseids meteor shower will peak August 12/13 so find somewhere dark and quiet. The moon won't rise until very early in the morning so you should have several solid hours viewing. Look to the northeast and the constellation of Perseus after midnight and you may
just catch a one.
Orion The Hunter
In early August Orion the Hunter is once again visible above horizon in the early morning hours just before dawn. This winter constellation is such a familiar part of our night skies it's comforting to have him back. It also signals that hopefully cooler days are not far off.
The Milky Way
The Milky Way and Galactic Center are now visible from the end of astro-twilight, sometime between 945p and 10p each evening. The horizontal arc across the southeastern sky has been replaced with a more vertical orientation in the south that extents over head. It's visible until the wee hours of the morning when the Galactic Center slides back below the horizon. Time is growing short and in a few more months the Milky Way will be gone until late winter.
Rocket Launches
There are two major launches scheduled for August along with several others. The final flight of a Northrup Grumman Antares 230 will happen on August 1st with NG19, a resupply mission to the ISS. A manned mission with the SpaceX Crew 7 launch is currently set for August 25th. There are Starlink shots scheduled for the 8th and 10th. Keep in mind rocket launches are subject to change, you can keep up to date with the website/app SpaceLauchSchedule.
Get Out Under The Stars
The warm summer nights of August are perfect for getting outside and enjoying the night sky. Make sure you pack some bug spray and remember to keep those lights turned off on the beach, sea turtle nesting season is still going on and the turtles need the dark. Please check out some of my great new night sky images in my Shop.