Night Sky Highlights in August – Constellation Guide

Here are some of the things to see in August:

9 PM, western sky – Jupiter appearing low above the horizon after sunset early in the month
9:30 PM, southwestern sky – Mars and Saturn appearing together near the bright red supergiant Antares in the evening; the planets will appear closest together late in the month
10 PM, southeastern sky – Lyra constellation high in the night sky with Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky, the quadruple star system Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double, and the famous Ring Nebula (Messier 57)
10 PM, eastern sky – Cygnus with the prominent Northern Cross asterism with the double star Albireo at one end and the supergiant Deneb at the other, illuminating the nearby North America Nebula, and the clusters Messier 29 and Messier 39
10 PM, southeastern sky – Vulpecula constellation with the famous Dumbbell Nebula (Messier 27)
10 PM, southeastern sky – Aquila, the Eagle, with the bright nearby star Altair, which forms the Summer Triangle with Vega and Deneb, and the Coathanger asterism, located between Albireo and Altair
2 AM, northeastern sky – Perseid meteor shower peaking on the night of August 12 to 13