Mercury – visible in the evening sky during the first week of August. Look for it about 4 to 6 degrees up in the west, a half-hour after sunset. Mercury will range in brightness from magnitude 0.2 to 0.4. The planet's disc will be 7 to 8 arc-seconds in diameter.

Venus – is the "evening star" until October. Look for it 20 degrees up in the WSW at sunset early this month and only 14 degrees up by month's end. Venus will be magnitude -4.3 and have a disc that increases in diameter from 20 to 28 arc-seconds. The phase will range from gibbous to a crescent.

Mars – located in Virgo. Mars is 20 degrees above the WSW horizon at sunset around mid-month. The "red planet" is magnitude 1.5 and will have a diameter of 4.5 arc-seconds. Surface markings will be difficult to see, even with a 8" scope. The North Polar Cap may still be prominent since the northern hemisphere of Mars is tilted 25 degrees towards our line-of-sight. Mars will be within 2 degrees of Saturn at the beginning of August.

For the lastest information on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander visit: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

Jupiter – located in Pisces. The "king of the planets" rises around 10 pm EDT at mid-month. It will be 48 degrees up in the south by 4 am. Jupiter will be magnitude -2.8 and have a diameter that increases from 46 to 49 arc-seconds.

The SEB of Jupiter has faded. This belt normally appears orange or red but now appears white. In smaller telescopes, Jupiter appears to have only one major belt. This makes the GRS easier to see, since it currently has an orange-red appearance.

For detailed postions of Jupiter's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Saturn – located in Virgo. The ringed planet can be seen 24 degrees up in the WSW at sunset early in August and only 12 degrees up by month's end. Saturn will be magnitude 1.1 with an apparent diameter of 16 arc-seconds. The rings will be 35 arc-seconds across with a tilt of 3 to 5 degrees to our line-of-sight.

The Cassini spacecraft continues its observation of Saturn and its many moons and rings. For the latest images from Cassini, see:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

For detailed postions of Saturn's Moons try this interactive javascript utility.

Uranus – located in Pisces. Uranus can best be seen around 4 am at mid-month. Look for it near Jupiter, 48 degrees up in the south. Uranus will be magnitude 5.8 and have a tiny 3.7 arc-second pale green disc. A finder chart for Uranus can be found Here.

At least four of Uranus' moons can be seen with larger amateur scopes. A chart detailing the moons can be found Here.

Neptune – located in Aquarius and Capricornus. Neptune passes through opposition on August 20th and can best be seen around 2 am EDT at mid-month. Look for it 36 degrees up in the south. Neptune will be magnitude 7.8 and have a tiny 2.4 arc-second pale blue disc.

Observers with 8 inch and larger scopes can also look for Neptune's largest moon, Triton. Triton is magnitude 13.5 and is located 12 to 16 arcseconds away from Neptune.

A finder chart for Neptune can be found Here.

Pluto – located in Sagittarius. The best time to see this "dwarf planet" is around 10:00 pm EDT at mid-month when it will be 30 degrees up in the south. An 8 inch or larger telescope and dark skies will be needed to see Pluto's faint magnitude 14.2 light. Due to Pluto's small size (0.1 arc-seconds), it will look like a faint star and not a planet. To identify Pluto correctly, it may be necessary to observe it on a second night to check for motion.

A finder chart for Pluto can be found at: Here.

Eris (pronounced "EE-ris") – formerly known as Xena, 2003 UB313, and "the tenth planet" – is magnitude 19 in central Cetus, high in the south during evening.

For detailed information please visit Astronomical Delights

The Perseid Meteor Shower – peaks on the night of August 12/13. About 30 to 60 Perseids may be seen per hour from a dark site. Look towards the NE during the evening of the 12th. After midnight, the shower radiant will rise higher in the east until it is nearly overhead at the start of twilight (5 am EDT). This year, the 3 day-old Moon will not interfere with meteor watching. Lesser numbers of Perseids may be seen for a few nights to either side of the peak.