What’s Up in the Night Sky? – August 2023

Fred Barrett | Aug 02, 2023

The Perseids are coming! August nights are lengthening as we head for the autumn and that means extra time for observing. That’s a bonus because the main event this month is the annual Perseid meteor shower. It’s the big one with more fireballs and bright tracks than any other shower. It’s radiant is centered near the top portion of the constellation Perseus which is just to the left of the ‘W’ shape of the constellation Cassiopeia.

The shower peaks August 13. The best time to view it is late in the evening and on until dawn when Perseus reaches its highest in the eastern sky. Morning is also the best time to view the shower because the Earth is directly facing the path of the debris cast off by comet 109P Swift-Tuttle in its orbit around the Sun. The trail also has an unusual number of larger debris particles and this produces more fireballs – more than any other meteor shower! A bright meteor is seldom bigger than a pea and most are closer in size to grains of sand. The heat from the Sun turns the comet’s ice into gas that releases trapped dust particles that produce a trail around the Sun. The Earth crosses this trail about the same time every year. Most comets that generate a ring of debris around the Sun are pretty small, with diameters of about 2 or 3 kilometers. Swift-Tuttle, on the other hand, is much larger at 26 kilometers in diameter and sheds many more particles of debris. As a comparison, it’s thought to be about 3 times larger than the giant asteroid that obliterated so much life on Earth 60 million years ago and also sealed the fate of the dinosaurs. Happily, its not aimed at the Earth!

When viewing for meteor trails, don’t look directly at the radiant. If you stare at the radiant, the streaks will be short because, in essence, you’re looking at them head on. Look off to the sides about 30 degrees from the radiant ( With one arm extended, count about 3 to 5 fist widths away from the radiant ). This shower lasts longer than others and runs from July 17 to August 24. There will be plenty to see well before the peak and it will carry on for a few weeks afterwards as the leading and following particles of the swarm arrive.

Expect about 60 to a 100 meteors per hour. A very thin waning crescent Moon won’t have much effect on observing.

Make sure you’re comfy. Bring a chair, bug spray, a warm coat in case of a late night chill and snacks and drinks. No booze! Double vision may double the meteors but that won’t count if you’re face down!

You might be able to find a dim Mars just after sunset just above the western horizon. You might have some luck on the 18th when it’s just below a crescent Moon.

Saturn reaches opposition on August 27th . It’s up 25 degrees in the south south east by 9 pm EDT at the beginning of August and remains observable all night long throughout the month. The rings have a healthy tilt of 8 degrees and reach a maximum of 9 degrees by the 31st. In a few years time the rings will be edge on, so you better make use of the time we have now. Make a decision and go out get that telescope you’ve been eyeing! Scopes are much cheaper than they use to be and with pointing control features, easier to use.

Neptune rises in the early evening in Pisces with Uranus following after midnight northeast of Jupiter. Don’t forget to follow the Galilean moons as they perform their endless dance around bright banded Jupiter. Venus has passed inferior conjunction by mid month and becomes a morning star just before sunrise on the 21st.

August has 2 Full Moons! The extra is often called a Blue Moon. This occurs about once in every 3 years. Also, the Full Moon on the 30th is at perigee and the closest it will be this year.

Here are the highlights for this month: August 1: Full Moon. This full moon is called the Full Sturgeon Moon and is the time of year when that fish were most easily caught. Watch for a reddish tinge on the Moon due to humidity and all the smoke in the air. August 2: The Moon is at perigee – 355,235 Km. August 3: The Moon is 2 degrees south of Saturn in the early morning. August 8: Last quarter Moon. The Moon passes 3 degrees north of Jupiter in the early morning. The Moon passes 3 degrees north of Uranus at around 9 pm. August 13: Perseid meteor shower peaks. August 16: New Moon is at apogee – 404,273 Km. August 18: The Moon passes 2 degrees north of Mars and 7 degrees north of Mercury in the early morning. August 24: First quarter Moon. August 27: Saturn is in opposition; best viewing. August 30: The Moon is at perigee – 355,107 Km. This is the closest it will be this year and is the second Full Moon of August. Besides being called a Blue Moon, it may also be known as a Full Fruit Moon or Full Grain Moon.

Don’t forget to check out events at the North Frontenac Dark Sky site, or as it’s known now, the North Frontenac Astronomy Park.

Also check the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area for observing opportunities this summer.

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) website https://rasc.ca has a listing of astronomy events for Ontario and the Kingston branch of the RASC website lists events happening, especially in our area.

Feel free to contact me with questions or observations at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

And that’s a wrap! Keep looking up.