BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy 2018 - Keep an eye on the sky

August is arguably the best month for stargazing. For northern-hemisphere observers, the weather is still warm but much of the unsettled and humid summer air dissipates and skies become, on average, drier and clearer. Observers in the southern hemisphere enjoy warmer weather as winter nears an end, and the center of the Milky Way, the starriest part of the night sky, still lies just past overhead. And of course, the Perseid meteor shower peaks this month, and the Moon will stay mercifully out of the way for this event this year. There are also plenty of planets to see in the evening sky, including Mars, which has just passed opposition and still shines brightly all month. Jupiter and Saturn remain large enough to afford good views with a telescope. And Venus slowly brightens in the western sky after sunset. Here’s what’s going on in the night sky this month.

1-31 August. Planets, planets everywhere! Look to the west and south after sunset to take in four dazzling planets. From right to left, look for Venus (the brightest), very bright Jupiter, Saturn, and brilliant red-orange Mars. These planets will remain in the sky all month. With your eye, binoculars, or a telescope, all these planets are a beautiful sight. And here’s some welcome news… the planet-wide dust storm on Mars is finally dying down, so hopefully we can all get a better view of the surface of the Red Planet.

look west after sunset to spot the crescent moon, plus the planets Venus and Jupiter. You can’t miss them if your sky is clear! The moon, Venus and Jupiter rank as the second brightest, third brightest and fourth brightest sky objects, respectively, after the sun.