Meanwhile, watch for Mercury sneaking up from the eastern horizon by midmonth. It’s farthest from the Sun in the sky on the 19th, so you should be able to spot it easily about 45 minutes before sunrise for about a week before and after the 19th. The two other bright planets — Mars and Saturn — are also visible this  month. To find out where to spot then, listen to this month’s Sky Tour episode.

I can’t imagine “August” without thinking of the annual Perseid meteor shower. This is the time when you’ll see many more “shooting stars” than usual. The Perseids have a fairly sharp peak, which this year is forecast for the night of August 12th and the predawn hours of the 13th. You can start looking fairly soon after sunset, as early as 9 p.m., once the constellation of Perseus rises over the northeastern horizon. But a fat gibbous Moon rises just as twilight is ending on the 12th; its light will wash out the faintest Perseids, and you’ll only see the brightest ones, which might come every 5 to 10 minutes.

Turn toward south soon after nightfall, and look for a fairly bright star not far above the southern horizon. That’s Antares. It marks the heart of Scorpius, a critter whose head is marked by a vertical arc of three medium-bright stars a little to the right. Now shift your gaze to the left of Antares by about three fists. You’re looking for a group of eight medium-bright stars in the shape of a teapot. The handle is on the left and the spout, tipped down a bit, is on the right. These are the main stars of the constellation Sagittarius, a mythological archer who is half man and half horse.

There’s lots more to see on August evenings — including the large constellation Boötes, which is shaped like a kite. To get a guided tour of “what’s up” in the next few weeks, check out our fun and informative Sky Tour podcast!

Read the full podcast transcript.