At any moment of the day, countless awe-inspiring celestial events are unfolding in the sky. With a universe of options, it can be hard to pin down what to observe. The purpose of this calendar is to provide a peek into what’s happening in the sky and in the world of astronomy in general and provide a quick list of highlights that can jump start your own explorations
All month: Ring Nebula
Visible from 90° North to 40° South and measuring a modest 286 square degrees, the Lyra Constellation is a great observing destination to turn your telescope to this month. It is most notable for containing one of the Northern Hemisphere’s brightest attractions – Vega. With an apparent magnitude of .03, this blue-white beauty is the fifth brightest star overall, the second brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere and the standout stunner in the Summer Triangle asterism. However, Lyra also is filled with deep sky treats, including the always alluring Ring Nebula (Messier 57). Located south of Vega, this planetary nebulae manifests as a smoke ring shape billowing around a bluish dwarf that can be discerned in a larger telescope. While you’re in the Ring Nebula’s neighborhood, you might want to check out the globular cluster Messier 56, which is 84 lights years across and can be resolved nicely with a large telescope; NGC 6745, an irregular galaxy that is actually a teeming cluster of three colliding galaxies; IC 1296, a barred spiral galaxy northwest of the Ring Nebula; and NGC 6791, an open cluster with an apparent magnitude of 9.5.
Astrophotographer Douglas J. Struble captured this image of the Ring Nebula with the aid of an Explore Scientific ED152 Air-Spaced Triplet Refractor.
August's Lunar Pairings:
This month, the Moon’s social calendar is once again filled with planetary meetups. The first occurs in the early morning of August 12 in the Pisces constellation between the waning gibbous Moon, Saturn and Neptune. A string of cozy connections then kicks off on August 19 when the Moon makes a pre-dawn pairing with Jupiter in the Gemini constellation before drawing near to Venus on the 20th and Mercury on the 21st.
August 3/4 – Moon meets up with Antares
Get ready to see red as the waxing Moon makes a close pass by the red supergiant Antares on the evening of August 3 / the wee hours of August 4 (depending on your location). Even though they do not really share celestial real estate, it will seem like they do as they move closer together until they are visually separated by less than 2 degrees. For lucky observers in locations far south on the globe – like southern Chile, southern Argentina and the Falkland Islands, the Moon will occult Antares, briefly obscuring it from view. Located in the Scorpius constellation, Antares, which means “Rival of Mars” in Greek, is often mistaken for Mars due to its similar reddish hue. Generally identified as the 16th brightest star in the sky, Antares is an irregular variable with a red-orange glow that makes it truly pop. Closer observations with a moderate telescope could reveal its blue companion star, which can be highly challenging to discern.
Astrophotographer Steve Bellavia captured Titan's shadowing transiting Saturn in the wee hours of July 18 with the aid of an Explore Scientific FirstLight Series 152mm Maksutov-Cassegrain.
August 3 - Titan's Shadow Transits Saturn (Observing/Imaging Challenge)
A transit season is under way for Saturn’s largest moon, but you’ll need perseverance and a sizable telescope to catch the show! Every 15 years, Earth and Saturn align in just the right way to reveal Titan’s shadow periodically gliding across the cloudy surface of the Ringed Planet. Thanks to a well-timed break in the clouds during a recent transit in the wee hours of July 18, astrophotographer Steve Bellavia was able to capture the above shot of Titan’s shadow as it raced across the face of Saturn. Although Titan's current transit series is more than halfway done, five opportunities remain in 2025 for astronomy enthusiasts to see an encore performance. The next chance will be August 3 and the last will be October 6. After that, you will have to wait until 2040! Click here to check out our recent blog post on Steve’s quest to capture this rare sight.
August 12 - Venus and Jupiter Conjunction
Two of the brightest celestial objects will pair up in the pre-dawn sky on August 12 as the always brilliant Venus reaches conjunction with Jupiter. Although both will lie in the constellation Gemini, they will not be close enough to observe together in a telescope’s field of view. However, the lovely match can be easily enjoyed by the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars. Ranked as the fourth brightest celestial object, Jupiter will manifest as a bright point of light to the naked eye, but a modest telescope may reveal the giant planet’s impressive cloud belts, its turbulent Great Red Spot or any of the four Galilean moons.
August 12 – Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks
Although it comes when a bright waning gibbous Moon is dominating the night sky, the always-anticipated Perseid meteor shower should still produce some real stunners when it peaks in the pre-dawn hours around August 12. Designated by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office as the annual meteor shower that produces the most fireballs, the Perseids are worth checking out even though the bright Moon will present significant interference. During its peak, the meteor shower has been known to produce 80-100 meteors per hour, and many of these display impressive persistent trains.
Caused by the Earth’s passage through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the annual Perseids appear to radiate from the Perseus constellation. However, observers should look at a dark patch of sky about 90 degrees away from the radiant point to see the most meteors.
The shower does favor northern hemisphere viewers and occurs in the perfect season for a long night of languishing under the stars. Because the Moon will already be presenting a significant light battle, observers will want to take extra care this year in choosing where to view because a dark sky will be vital.
August 19 – Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation
Because it is always so close to the Sun, Mercury is usually lost in its glare. But those wanting to catch a prime view of the planet may want to head outside about 30 minutes before sunrise on August 19 when Mercury reaches its greatest elongation or its furthest point from the Sun on our sky’s dome. A clear eastern horizon is essential for viewing Mercury, which can be found in the Cancer constellation during the event. Although Mercury will be visible to the unaided eye, a telescope could show phase details. However, use extreme caution when using an optical aid so close to sunrise!
CONSTELLATION SPOTLIGHT: Sagittarius
Home to our Milky Way’s galactic center, the Sagittarius Constellation offers a feast of notable stars, nebulae, clusters and more that can keep your eyepiece filled for nights. Covering an 867 square degree area of sky, the loaded Sagittarius is the 15th largest constellation and is visible from 55° North to 90° South.
Before you delve into the bounty of deep sky treasures, a star tour is always a good way to get acquainted with a constellation. Sagittarius is commonly identified as the “Archer,” so it is fitting that the constellation’s brightest star – Kaus Australis — anchors the celestial character’s bow. Although it will take a larger scope to resolve it, Kaus Australis (Epsilon Sagittarii) is a binary star system that has a blue giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 1.79 as its main component. The two other stars that define the bow are Kaus Media (Delta Sagittarii), which is a multi-star system made up of a giant and three dim companions, and Kaus Borealis (Lambda Sagittarii), an orange giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 2.82 that lies very close to the ecliptic.
In addition to rendering the Archer’s bow, these three stars are part of the eight that form the constellation’s famous Teapot Asterism. Kaus Borealis marks the point of the teapot’s lid, while
Kaus Australis and Kaus Media define the body of the teapot along with Zeta Sagittarii, a binary star system with a white giant primary, and Phi Sagittarii, a giant with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.17. At the tip of the teapot’s spout lies Gamma Sagittarii, a binary system with an orange giant that also acts as the tip of the archer’s arrow. The two stars that outline the handle of the teapot are Sigma Sagittarii, a fast rotating dwarf that is the second brightest star in the constellation, and the orange giant Tau Sagittarii.
About 120 light years away, Tau Sagittarii’s fame extends beyond its place in the teapot. It is actually the closest visible star to the origin of the Wow! Signal, which was the first and only narrowband radio signal ever received that met the criteria for possible communication from an extraterrestrial intelligence source. Detected on August 15th, 1977, at the Big Ear Radio Observatory in Ohio, the signal lasted for 72 seconds but has not been detected since. It got its name because when he discovered it, SETI researcher Jerry Ehman circled the evidence on a computer printout and wrote “Wow!” next to it in big red letters.
Sagittarius is also the home of The Pistol Star, which is one of the most luminous stars known. Obscured to the naked eye by the interstellar dust of The Pistol Nebula, this variable hypergiant will pop out as a bright blue stunner when viewed through a telescope. Other stellar sights include Eta Sagittarii, a multi-star system with a red giant irregular variable, Alpha Sagittarii, a blue dwarf with an apparent visual magnitude of 3.96, Beta Sagittarii, which is actually a pair of star systems, and Ross 154, a red dwarf flare that is one of the closest stars to our Sun.
Astrophotographer Stefan Dal Pra captured this image of the Trifid Nebula in the Sagittarius constellation with the aid of an Explore Scientific ED102 Air-Spaced Triplet Refractor.
In addition to its bounty of stars, Sagittarius is rich in deep sky targets as well. Let’s begin with its nebulae. The Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8) is Sagittarius’ largest and is best viewed with low magnification. Located about three finger-widths above the tip of the teapot’s spout, this emission nebula covers an area that is about 110 by 50 light years in size and is one of a few star-forming nebulae that can be seen by the unaided eye. The massive glowing cloud is split by a dark lagoon-like rift, which gives it its name. Its numerous high points include some prominent dark nebulae and a nice open cluster. Described as a glowing checkmark in the sky, Sagittarius’ reddish Omega Nebula (Messier 17) is an emission nebula 15 light years in diameter that is lit by an open cluster of about 35 young stars. The constellation is also home to the popular Trifid Nebula (Messier 20), a glowing ball that manifests dark dust lanes in larger scopes. It is a combination of a reddish emission nebula, a blue reflection nebula, a dark nebula and an open cluster of stars. Another nebula of note is the pale blue-green Little Gem Nebula (NGC 6818), which is a planetary nebula with an inner elongated shape.
In addition to glorious nebulae, the constellation also has some worthwhile galaxies to explore. The first is the Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy, which is one of the closest satellite galaxies to our Milky Way. Boasting an apparent visual magnitude of 4.5, this loop-shaped galaxy has at least four globular star clusters including the dense Messier 54, which was the first globular star cluster discovered outside the Milky Way. Other galactic offerings include Barnard’s Galaxy, a barred irregular galaxy with an apparent magnitude of 9.3 that is best viewed in a big telescope with very low power; and the Sagittarius Dwarf Irregular Galaxy, which is the most distant galaxy that is believed to be a member of the Local Group.
The Sagittarius constellation is brimming with clusters, but one of the most outstanding is Messier 22, which is also known as the Sagittarius Cluster. One of the brightest and nearest globular star clusters, M22 can be seen by the naked eye under a dark sky but is particularly brilliant in a telescope. Located northeast of Kaus Borealis, it has an apparent magnitude of 5.1 and is one of only four known clusters of its kind to have a planetary nebula.
A final wonder to explore in “The Archer” is the Sagittarius Star Cloud (Messier 24). When you observe M24, you are looking at a spiral arm of our galaxy through a gap in the Milky Way’s dust. This is a wonderful target for binocular viewing because you can see hundreds of stars pop within a single field of view. M24 also contains two noteworthy dark nebulae – Barnard 92 and Barnard 93.
WANT TO NAVIGATE THE NIGHT SKY WITH EASE?
The Tirion Double-Sided Multi-Latitude Planisphere is a comprehensive sky map for northern hemisphere stargazers located between the equator and latitude 60° north that makes it easy to identify what constellations and major celestial objects are up in your night sky based on the date and time.
This night sky guide, which features maps crafted by noted celestial cartographer Wil Tirion, uses a double-sided design to minimize the distortion that is inherent to any polar-centered projection. This design choice means observers can see truer representations of the constellations located outside the equator (noted by a green line) by simply flipping the planisphere over.
In addition to showcasing constellations, this planisphere indicates the location of notable variable stars, open clusters, nebulae and galaxies. Other features include a line representing the ecliptic, a faint blue band for the Milky Way and a magnitude scale that indicates the brightness of the stars that are shown.
This astronomy planisphere is made of durable plastic that easily wipes clean, and the rotating components are secured with sturdy brass rivets for smooth manipulation. Guidance for using your sky map is printed on the device for quick reference.