Another opportunity to see Neptune with help from Saturn presents itself in August, following the conjunction of the two planets at the end of June. This month Neptune and Saturn will appear very close on August 6th in the eastern morning sky between 4 an5 am.
Neptune is 1.9 billion miles beyond Saturn in the solar system and very dim because it is so far away. But it can be seen with binoculars or small telescope just above Saturn on August 6th.
Saturn and Neptune rise together around 10:30 pm on August 1st, so by August 6th they will be well up in the eastern morning sky. Saturn, among the dim star of Pisces, will be easy to spot with the unaided eye. Find Saturn and using binoculars find Neptune as a blue-green dot just above it. This month, using small telescopes, the underside of Saturn’s ring system will be seen.
On February 15, 2026 there will be another close conjunction between Saturn and Neptune.
The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will head for a close conjunction of their own on August 11 and 12. Venus at magnitude -4.0 rises around 3 am in the eastern sky on August 1st and will maintain an altitude of about 20 degrees most of the month by an hour before sunrise. Jupiter will be rising a bit later and will appear to close in on Venus for the next 10 days. By August 11th the two bright planets will be just 2 Moon widths apart and be side by side the next morning August 12th. For a few days on either side of this closest approach Venus and Jupiter will be a dazzling sight! And on August 19th a crescent Moon will be in the same area of sky!
August always brings sky-watchers the year’s best Meteor shower; the Perseids. Unfortunately, August’s Full Moon is on the 9th and will impact the peak nights of the Perseids, August 11/12. However, the Perseids are often very bright so looking to the northeastern sky between 3 am and dawn is still worthwhile. Focus your eyes about halfway up to the zenith (top of the sky).
The Perseids are debris from Comet 109P Swift-Tuttle which last passed through the inner solar system in 1992; and will return again in 2092.
August this year brings sky-watchers some really fantastic sights!
Dennis Herrmann developed a life-long interest in astronomy at an early age and got his first telescope at the age of 12. Through his 43 years of teaching at Kent County High School he taught Astronomy and Earth/Space Science and coached track and field and cross country. He led and participated in numerous workshops on astronomy at the Air and Space Museum (DC), the Maryland Science Center, and the Mid-Atlantic Planetarium Society. He loves sharing and explaining the night sky to increase understanding and enjoyment of it to folks of all ages.
