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28 | THE COLONY NEWS | AUGUST 2022 | By Mike Vergara, 951- 461-2889 It's August! Hot enough for ya? Like last year, we had to wait until this month to get any planets in the evening sky. Saturn will be peeking up over the east-southeast horizon on Saturday the 6th, and Jupiter will make his appearance on Wednesday the 31st. I use 9 pm as the observing time. If you want to stay up late, they are high and easily visible around midnight as early as Monday, Aug. 1. Saturn will be at "opposition" on Sunday, Aug. 14. "Opposition" is the term used to describe when a planet is exactly opposite the sun in the sky (as viewed from Earth). It's also when the planet is the closest to Earth in its orbit, so it's the absolute best time to see it with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope. August's full moon, the "Full Sturgeon Moon," is on Friday, the 12th. It's called that because the sturgeon fish were most readily caught in the Great Lakes at this time of year. Other names for this moon include the "Full Green Corn Moon," the "Wheat Cut Moon," and the "Moon When All Things Ripen." It is also a so-called "super moon." Full moons are always nice for lighting up the evenings, but there is also the Perseids Meteor Shower that will peak overnight on the 11th and 12th. What this means is that even though the Perseids usually put on a good show, the bright moon will wash out all but the very brightest of them. Like all meteor showers, the Perseids are caused by the Earth passing through the dust trail left by a comet. The comet that is the source of the Perseids is called "Comet 109P/Swift- Tuttle." It was discovered in 1862 and takes 133 years to make a full orbit of the sun. Viewing a meteor shower is easy. Find a lounge chair, a blanket, a thermos of your favorite beverage, and a place with dark skies. Sit in the chair, lean back and watch. No additional equipment is needed! However, the local astronomy club, the Temecula Valley Astronomers, has been having weekly star parties every Friday at South Coast Resort out in Wine Country. Aug. 12 is a Friday, so check their Facebook for time and location. Visit http://skymaps.com/index.html to print your own map of the sky for the month. For information about satellites or the ISS, go to https://heavens-above.com. Clear skies! august Sky august Sky Gayle Brewer Hildreth (Hildy) Barrett Donald Cain Janice Louise Jensen Barbara McDermott Dwaine Lively Holly Procopio In Memoriam