Venus and Saturn set while Jupiter takes dominance. A total lunar eclipse and major meteor shower occur in the second half of the month.
Venus
Venus has been shining brilliantly in the west after sunset since early this year. Now it is sinking quickly toward the horizon, following the sun to bed. How long can you spot it before it is lost in the setting sun's glow? Venus will reapear in the morning sky, leading the sun up from the eastern horizon. It is in the range of magnitude -4 all month.
Saturn
Saturn is also leaving the evening sky and will be reappearing in the morning sky at the end of the month. Saturn will linger above the horizon in the west slightly longer than Venus, but at a dimmer magnitude 0.4, you will probably find it harder to spot. Saturn lies only a few degrees from Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, and they are closing in on each other. By the last days of the month they will be less than a degree apart in the morning sky.
Jupiter
When Venus and Saturn leave the evening stage, Jupiter will be free to reign. It has already been a bright spot on the southern horizon for most of the summer. At magnitude -2.3, it handily outshines any stars in its vicinity, making it easy to spot which point of light is Jupiter. On August 21, the moon makes its closest swing past Jupiter for the month, about six and a half degrees apart. The magnitude 1.06 star Antares will lie between the moon and Jupiter on this night.
Asteroid Vesta
Keeping an eye on Jupiter will also give you a fabulous chance to catch an asteroid if you've never seen one before. Vesta, the fourth asteroid to be discovered, brushes past Jupiter at the end of the month. Start looking on August 23. Jupiter is the bright "star" in the south at magnitude -2.27. Vesta is just above Jupiter and to its right. You will need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to spot it. Come out every night for the next week or two that it is clear and look again. Do you see the 7.09-magnitude point of light that is Vesta, slowly moving past Jupiter? On August 27, the two are only 25 arcminutes apart, with Vesta directly above Jupiter. Watch as Vesta pulls away from Jupiter and sinks back into the lonely night.
Total Lunar Eclipse
Everyone is searching for what will happen in the night sky on August 27. Besides the asteroid Vesta being near Jupiter, will Mars look as big as the moon? No. Read more here. But something that will happen in the overnight hours between August 27 and 28 is a total lunar eclipse.
As you are watching the Moon this month, note not only its close encounter with Jupiter, mentioned above, but also its trail past Spica, when it comes closest on August 17. The crescent moon will be about 3 degrees away from the brightest star in Virgo. The Moon undergoes an eclipse on August 28. This lunar eclipse is best seen from the west coast if you are in the United States. You will have to get up early in the morning to view it. The moon enters the umbra at 1:51 am PDT, and the total phase of the eclipse begins at 2:52 am PDT. The total eclipse ends at 4:23 am PDT, with the moon exiting the last part of Earth's shadow at 5:24 am PDT. For those in the central part of the United States, the moon sets during the last partial phase, and for those in the eastern US, the moon sets when it is in the total eclipse stage.
Mars and Mercury
If you are an early riser, you can catch Mars and Mercury in the predawn sky. Mars is in Taurus and Mercury can be seen at the beginning of the month low in the east before sunrise.
Perseid Meteor Shower
Lastly, everyone's favorite event of the summer is the Perseid Meteor Shower. This shower should be a great show, because it peaks on August 12, which coincides with a new moon. No moonlight will interfere in catching all the streaks of light coming into the atmosphere. Perseus, the constellation from which the meteors appear to emanate, rises after sunset in the northeast. You can see up to 80 meteors an hour during the maximum.
