The night skies in August are full of celestial wonders, including bright planets and a meteor shower. Venus and Mars are currently blocked from our view by the sun, but this week is a great chance to catch Jupiter and Saturn in conjunction with the moon.
The nearly full moon will appear very close to Jupiter on the night of August 9. Jupiter, the next brightest planet in our sky after Venus, will be visible in the sky beginning at dusk and well until the early hours of the morning around the world, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Like Jupiter, Saturn will also appear in the sky once night falls and be visible until dawn, east of Jupiter. On the evening of August 11, the moon will appear to the right of Saturn and then on its left on August 12. Mercury will also appear in the east during the early morning hours as dawn arrives, most apparent an hour before sunrise.
Look out this week as the Perseid meteor shower nears its peak before the full moon on August 15 drowns out the light from the meteors burning up in Earth's upper atmosphere. The August full moon is also known as the Sturgeon Moon because Native American tribes in the northeast knew it was the best time to catch sturgeon in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Other tribes also called it the "moon when all things ripen" the "blueberry moon" or the "wheat cut moon."
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