The Night Sky this August! 3 Aug 2023 What to look out for in the night sky from Eynsham.

The Night Sky in August!

This is not intended to be comprehensive - it is a quick guide to help you find a few things in the night sky without any equipment - just your eyes.

All of these are very bright and easy to find when walking around the village.

The planets

Venus can still be seen at sunset in the west. Jupiter and Saturn can be seen this month rising in the east and visible all night. These planets can be seen easily.

I am a bit late this month and missed the full moon on the 1st - but never mind this month there are two!. On the 31st the second full moon in a month is called a 'Blue Moon'. It is not actually blue it is the term for this rare event. Also it is also a super moon meaning that it is nearer to the earth and will look slightly bigger.

Watch out for the full Moon is on the 31st- it rises in the East around 8:30pm at sunset. It will be close to the horizon - giving it an illusion that it is bigger.

Watch out for the perseid meteor shower this month - they are visible all month but will peak around the 13 / 14. There will be 100 to 150 an hour but some will not be bright enough but you should see around 20 to 40 an hour better later on. Just look up and not in one spot.

I have made or found the following charts to help you find: -

• Moon and Saturn
• Moon and Jupiter
• The moon Phases
• The Moon Illusion
• Plus a star chart