What’s Up in the Sky – August 2022
AAA Observers’ August Guide
August Evening Planets: Bright Jupiter is in Pisces the Fish as of 11 PM and rising earlier every night until 9 PM by the end of August. Find Saturn in Capricornus the Sea-goat lingering until sunrise. Mercury will be in Leo the Lion for about one hour after sunset. Mars will be up as of midnight and rising earlier every day, moving between Cetus the Sea monster and Taurus the Bull. Uranus will be in Aries the Ram as of midnight and rising earlier every night. Neptune in Aquarius the Water Bearer as of 10 PM and rising earlier every night until 8 PM by the end of the month. Dwarf Pluto will be in Sagittarius the Archer all night.
August Evening Stars: Spot the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle all night. See Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion, Capella in Auriga the Charioteer, and Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. Also, find the stars of constellations Ophiuchus, Libra, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Hercules, Aquarius, Andromeda, Draco, Pegasus, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).
August Morning Planets: Bright Venus will be up around 4 AM in the first half of August moving between Gemini the Twins and Cancer the Crab. Find red Mars moving between Cetus and Taurus through the month. Jupiter is in Pisces and Saturn is in Capricornus lingering until sunrise. Uranus will be in Aries and Neptune in Aquarius until sunrise.
August Morning Stars: Look for Capella in Auriga, Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus, Aldebaran in Taurus, Castor and Pollux in in Gemini, Beetlejuice and Rigel in Orion the Hunter, as well as the stars of constellations Lyra, Aquarius, Cetus, Orion, Pisces, Aries, Draco, Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Perseus, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
August Skylights
- Aug 5 First Quarter Moon at 7:05 AM
- Aug 9 Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn line up, looking south
- Aug 10 Moon at perigee (223,600 miles away)
- Aug 11 Full Buck Super Moon at 9:35 PM
- Aug 12 Perseid meteor shower peaks, pre-dawn
- Aug 14 Saturn at opposition, brightest in 2022
- Aug 24 Pollux, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn line up, looking south
- Aug 19 Third Quarter Moon at 12:35 AM
- Aug 22 Moon at apogee (251,900 miles away)
- Aug 27 New Moon at 4:15 AM
Times given in EDT.