Highlights of the August Sky – Constellation Guide

Here are some of the things to see in August:

9:30 PM, southwestern sky – Saturn hovering above the horizon in the evening
6 AM, eastern sky – Mars above the horizon before sunrise in late August; Venus appears in the same region of the sky in the last days of the month
10 PM, southeastern sky – Lyra constellation, representing the Harp, with the bright star Vega and the quadruple star system Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double, and the Ring Nebula, a famous planetary nebula also known as Messier 57
10 PM, eastern sky – Cygnus constellation, representing the Swan, with the prominent Northern Cross asterism, the bright star Deneb and the contrasting binary star Albireo; the North America Nebula, the clusters Messier 29 and Messier 39
10 PM, southeastern sky – Vulpecula constellation, representing the Fox, with the famous Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 27
10 PM, southeastern sky – Aquila constellation, representing the Eagle, with the bright star Altair
10 PM, southeastern sky – the Summer Triangle, formed by Altair, Vega and Deneb; the Coathanger cluster halfway between Altair and Albireo
2 AM, northern sky – the annual Perseid meteor shower, peaking on August 12 and 13