3 Uranus is at opposition. In dark, cloudless skies, it might just be visible as a faint star in the constellation Capricornus. Binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view.

4 Venus and Mars stand side by side in the early morning sky today and tomorrow. Venus is by far the brighter of the two, and Mars stands just to its left. Look for them low in the east-northeast about an hour before sunrise.

7 Full Moon, called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs during the full Moon, as the Moon dips into the hazy outer part of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra. Most skywatchers won't really notice much difference. The eclipse is visible across most of the United States. It begins at 8:32 p.m. CDT and ends at 10:18 p.m.

10 Jupiter stands just above the Moon as they rise in late evening. Jupiter looks like a very bright cream-colored star.

11 The Moon is at perigee.

12 The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, but the bright Moon interferes with the display. It rises in late evening, and will drown out all but the brightest Perseids. The best time to watch is after midnight, when Earth faces most directly into the meteor stream.

13 The Moon passes just south of Saturn early this morning. They rise shortly before midnight on the 12th, and are high overhead as twilight colors the morning sky. Saturn looks like a bright golden star very near the Moon.

Mercury is in inferior conjunction; in other words, it crosses the imaginary line between Earth and Sun. It is lost in the Sun's intense glare, but will become visible in the east shortly before sunrise later in the month.

16 Aldebaran, the bright orange star that marks the "eye" of Taurus, the bull, stands just above the Moon in the early morning sky. Saturn is stationary against the background of stars.

19 Mars stands near the crescent Moon in the eastern sky shortly before sunrise. Mars looks a moderately bright orange star to the left of the crescent Moon. Venus, the "morning star," is just below them. Look for them beginning a little less than two hours before sunrise.

20 Venus and the Moon stage a spectacular display in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Venus is the stunningly bright "morning star," and stands just above and to the left of the thin crescent Moon. Mars stands a little above them, with Mercury just below.

21 An "annular" solar eclipse is visible across the Pacific today. During an annular eclipse, a bright ring of sunlight appears around the Moon as it passes in front of the Sun. The eclipse is not visible from the Americas.

27 The Moon is at apogee.

31 Mercury stands farthest above the Sun for its current "morning-star" appearance today. It's a little higher in the sky than Venus, which far outshines Mercury.