Two Great Night Sky Events Coming Up In August

Read on for the best night-sky sights to skip a bit of sleep for this month.

Head outside and look up.

The most powerful meteor shower of the year will peak between midnight to the early morning from roughly 11 to 13 August, with the highest odds of shooting stars overnight on 12 August, says the American Meteor Society.

The Perseids, which appear near the constellation Perseus in the northeast-east sky, could produce up to 100 meteors per hour - if you can find a spot with few clouds and minimal light pollution. The shower will be particularly dazzling after the moon sets at around midnight.

Originating from the large parent comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are known for particularly bright and colourful meteors, known as fireballs. In fact, NASA says it produces more fireballs than any other meteor shower. So, worth making a note in your diary?

Another fabulous moment for star gazers will occur the following week when the year’s first supermoon will finally appear in our skies on 19 August. The marvel - when the moon appears brighter and larger than normal - is best viewed around sunset, as the moon rises above the east-southeast horizon. This month’s full moon is not just a supermoon; it’s also known as the full sturgeon moon, named for the fish that reach an abundance this time of year, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.