3 Reasons to observe this month

The Perseid Meteor Shower

Every summer, Earth crosses the trail of dust left behind by comet Swift-Tuttle. The result? Hundreds of shooting stars light up the sky! The peak is expected around August 12–13, but the event can be seen with the naked eye throughout the month.

A few tips:

• Avoid looking toward the Moon, as its brightness causes light pollution.
• Face northeast, the direction from which the Perseids appear to come.

The Summer Triangle

In the August sky, a distinctive geometric figure can help you find your bearings: the Summer Triangle. Easily recognizable to the naked eye, this asterism connects three of the sky’s brightest stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair.

A few suggestions to explore in this region with your telescope:

• The Veil Nebula, in the constellation Cygnus: a vast structure, remnant of a supernova. Several segments are particularly striking, including NGC 6992 and NGC 6960.

• The Snowball Nebula (NGC 7662), in the constellation Aquila: a more subtle target that becomes visible after about 10 minutes of observation.

Your opinion matters

We’ve been sharing these observing suggestions with you each month — and now we’d love to hear from you:  What do you think of this monthly series?