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August Night Sky

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Here are some of the things to see in August:

  • 9 pm, western sky – Jupiter hovering above the horizon after sunset
  • 9 pm, southern sky – Saturn visible above the southern horizon in the evening
  • 5 am, eastern sky – Venus visible above the horizon just before dawn
  • 10 pm, southeastern sky – Lyra constellation high in the sky in the evening, with the bright star Vega, the quadruple star system Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double, and the Ring Nebula (Messier 57)
  • 10 pm, eastern sky – Cygnus constellation, easily recognized for the Northern Cross asterism high overhead in the evening, with the double star Albireo, the bright supergiant Deneb, the North America Nebula, and the bright open clusters M29 and M39
  • 10 pm, southeastern sky – Vulpecula constellation, with the famous Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 27)
  • 10 pm, southeastern sky – Aquila constellation, with the bright nearby star Altair
  • 10 pm, southeastern sky – the Summer Triangle, formed by the bright stars Altair, Deneb and Vega, and the Coathanger asterism, found right between Altair and Albireo
  • partial lunar eclipse visible from eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia on August 7 and 8
  • 2 am, northeastern sky – the Perseid meteor shower, appearing to emanate from the constellation Perseus, peaking on the night of August 12 to 13, but obscured by moonlight this year
  • August 21 – total solar eclipse, visible in the United States in the area from Oregon to South Carolina; partial solar eclipse visible from the continental U.S., Canada, Mexico and Central America

Related: August constellations