When I think of August, I think of meteor showers. The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of Aug. 13. A full moon will hinder ability to see the fainter meteors on this night. Patient sky watchers will still see about 20 very bright meteors per hour, streaking across the sky. Meteors from this shower can be seen each night a few days before and a few days after Aug. 13. Protect yourself from mosquitoes, sit facing the northeast and cast your gaze high in the sky. Meteors can be seen all night, although the meteors before midnight tend to leave longer steaks of light.
Saturn is only 25 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon in August when evening twilight darkens. Find the golden glow of Saturn just to the west of the blue-white colored star Spica, in the constellation Virgo the Maiden. Early in August will be the best time to view Saturn through a telescope to see its wonderful rings.
Jupiter rises about midnight in the east-northeastern sky early in the month and about 10 p.m. at month's end. Shining brightly at a magnitude of -2.5, Jupiter outshines all other stars in this part of the sky. On the morning of Aug. 19, find a waning crescent Moon just above Jupiter.
Mars finds itself in the constellation Gemini the Twins this month. Rising in the east-northeastern sky about 2 a.m., Mars will be the reddest object in this part of the sky. Shining at a magnitude of +1.4, a thin crescent Moon is just to the right of Mars on the morning of Aug. 25.
Upcoming events: Rocky Mountain National Park concludes its summer star-gazing events in August. Friday and Aug. 19, telescopes will be available for viewing in the Upper Beaver Meadows trailhead area. A brief astronomical talk by a park ranger starts at 8 p.m., followed by telescope viewing.
On Aug. 12, a ranger presentation called "Stories Behind the Moon & Stars" will start at 8 p.m. at the Moraine Park Visitor Center. The presentation will be followed by hands-on exhibits and telescope viewing.
Park admission is required. For more information, call 970-586-1206. The next meeting of the Longmont Astronomical Society will be Aug. 18 at IHOP restaurant, 2040 Ken Pratt Blvd. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. with a talk about astronomy, followed by a short business meeting.
The Little Thompson Observatory in Berthoud opens for its 12th season of operation on Aug. 19 as it hosts the monthly open house. At 7 p.m., John Ensworth will present "Theories of Everything -- From the Beginning of Time to When Time Doesn't Exist." Telescope observing follows the talk, weather permitting. Ensworth will present the second part of his talk at the Sept. 16 open house. The observatory is at the northeast edge of Berthoud High School.