Night Sky for August 2022

Good news! In August 2022, the planets are visible in the night sky AND the morning sky. There are plenty of good chances to see bright, visible planets outdoors this month. 

Sky Watch for August 2022

by Bob Berman, as featured in The 2022 Old Farmer’s Almanac.

IN THE EVENING

This month belongs to Saturn, our solar system’s beautiful ringed planet.

• Saturn is now rising at a very convenient 9 to 10 P.M., offering viewing opportunities to night owls. Look for a steady, yellow point of light near the southeast horizon.
• LOOK UP the night of August 12th around 10pm. The Moon is framed between Saturn and Jupiter.  Saturn will be up all night; Jupiter rises around 10pm. Golden Saturn appears to the right, and much brighter Jupiter to the left. What a beautiful trio!
• On the 14th, Saturn reaches opposition, its closest and brightest of 2022! If you have a telescope, this is a good night to spot Saturn’s rings! The best view is at midnight but Saturn is visible all night long through dawn. And any night in August with clear weather is a good night for viewing!
• The last week of August into September, look for the two gas planets out most of the night! First, Saturn rises around 8 P.M. in the eastern sky and will be out until sunrise. Then Giant Jupiter rises about 10 PM, partying all night until the early morning hours. 

See planet rise and set times for your location.

Credit: NASA

IN THE MORNING

• As morning twilight begins from the 1st to the 3rd, look for bright Mars, now at magnitude 0, halfway between far-apart Venus, low in the east, and Jupiter, nicely up in the south.
• If you have binoculars, can easily see green Uranus next to orange Mars; Uranus is just northwest of Mars.
• On the 14th, the Moon is near Jupiter, only a finger’s width away. Like Mars and Uranus, they’ll make a great pairing through binoculars, and you’ll also likely catch a glimpse of Jupiter’s four largest moons.
• On the 19th, look before daybreak for the Moon closely above Mars! The pair appear extremely close together for a gorgeous conjunction in the eastern skies. If you have binoculars, look nearby for the Pleiades aka the Seven Sisters. Jupiter will also be visible, to the right of Mars and the Moon.
• On August 25, the crescent Moon hovers just 8 degrees above Venus, with the Moon to the planet’s lower left on the next morning, August 26. The Moon will rise first, then Venus will join the Moon when it rises above the east-northeastern horizon at 5:12 EDT.

See planet rise and set times for your location.

Summer Stargazing

The Summer Triangle still shines bright and high in the evening sky! Just look to the East and up! See our free star chart and have fun spotting the three bright stars of the Summer triangle!

Image: The Summer Triangle is bright even in many city skies. Credit: NASA.

Full Supermoon for August 2022

See your Moon phases for August—customized to your location!

August’s full Sturgeon Moon reaches its peak on Thursday, August 11, 2022. It will be the last supermoon of the year, bringing supermoon season to a close! The next supermoon will not rise until July 3, 2023.

Learn when to look for the August’s Full Moon and why it got such a peculiar name in our August Moon Guide.