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| THE COLONY NEWS | AUGUST 2023 | 19 In Memoriam Alva Branson Shirley Rich Sylvia Sexton JoAnn Tarr Amalie (Emily) Umeda By Mike Vergara, 951-473-5806 August has arrived, and you know what that means! Meteors! August's Perseids meteor shower starts a series of annual meteor showers that run through December. Meteor showers are named for the constellation that they appear to be falling from. In this case it's Perseus, the Greek hero who slew Medusa. In ancient Greek star lore, Perseus is the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Danaë. It was said that the Perseid shower commemorates the time when Zeus visited Danaë, the mother of Perseus, in a shower of gold. This year, the shower is predicted to peak overnight on Sunday and Monday, August 13-14. Meteor showers are often at their best between midnight and dawn. When there's a bright moon in the sky, it makes seeing meteors difficult. This year the moon won't be a problem as it will be a waning crescent and only about 10% illuminated. In addition to the crescent moon, Jupiter and Saturn will be out for viewing as well. August also will have two full moons — on the 1st and then the 30th. Traditionally, August's full moon is known as the "Full Sturgeon Moon" because these fish were most readily caught during this part of summer. Since the second full moon in a single month is referred to as a blue moon, the second full moon would be known as the "Blue Sturgeon Moon." These two full moons, and the next one as well, are perigean full moons. This means that the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit when it's full. The moon's orbit is not a circle but is an ellipse. Because of this, the moon's distance from Earth changes as it travels around the planet. When the moon is full on the 30th, it will be the closest full moon of the year. Because of this, it will appear really big and really bright. To find where the planets and constellations are, visit http://skymaps.com/index.html. From there you can print your own map of the sky for the month. Clear skies! the Night sky the Night sky