Sagittarius and Scorpius glide across the southern sky on August nights, with the curving body of the scorpion leading the teapot of Sagittarius. Both constellations are easy to pick out under even moderately dark skies. Jupiter and Saturn, the giants of the solar system, are at their best this month. And Venus anchors the western sky shortly after sunset as the dazzling Evening Star.
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In the Sky This Month
August 30: Last-Quarter Moon
The Moon is at last quarter early today. The name is a bit misleading, because sunlight illuminates half of the visible lunar disk. The “last-quarter” label means the Moon has completed three-quarters of its monthly cycle of phases.
August 31: Pistol Star
One of the biggest, brightest stars in the galaxy is the Pistol Star. It is in teapot-shaped Sagittarius, which is low in the south at nightfall. The Pistol is in the “steam” above the teapot’s spout. We can’t see the star because it’s hidden behind clouds of dust.
September 1: Venus and Spica
The planet Venus and the star Spica are low in the western sky as night falls. Venus is the “evening star.” Spica is close to the left of Venus tonight. They will move closer over the next few evenings, with Venus standing a little above Spica on Sunday.
September 2: Dabih
The star Dabih is near the right point of a wide triangle that outlines Capricornus, the sea-goat. Right now, it stands above the bright planet Saturn. Dabih is a system of at least five stars.
September 3: Sending a Message
If anyone in the system 47 Ursae Majoris aims a radio telescope at Earth in 2047, they may hear music. It was beamed toward the system 20 years ago today from Ukraine. 47 Ursae Majoris was targeted because it was one of the first stars known to have a planet.
September 4: Making Stars
Cepheus OB4 is a giant stellar nursery about 3,600 light-years away, along the border between Cepheus and Cassiopeia, which are in the northeast at nightfall. You need binoculars to see it, however, as part of a complex that includes the larger nursery NGC 7822.
September 5: Making More Stars
The scorpion is low in the southern sky at nightfall. One faint feature in its tail is RCW 120, a bubble of gas that is giving birth to new stars. Through a telescope it looks like a small ring, so it’s also known as the Green Ring Nebula.
New August 8, 8:50 am
First August 15, 10:20 am
Full Augsut 22, 7:02 am
Last August 30, 2:13 am
Times are U.S. Central Time.
Apogee August 2, 29
Perigee August 17
The full Moon of August is known as the Grain Moon or Green Corn Moon.