Today - August 30, 2019 - presents the closest new moon of the year, exactly a fortnight (about 2 weeks) before the year's farthest and smallest full moon on September 14, 2019.
Wait, what? Winter Circle? Yes, even though it's still summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The early morning summer sky shows you what you'll see come winter.
Before dawn on August 21 and 22, 2019, let the moon guide you to the constellation Aries the Ram. When the moon moves away, try star-hopping to Uranus using guide stars within this constellation. Good luck!
The Perseid meteor shower is rising to its peak, so there's bound to be some fist-shaking this weekend at that bright moon. But the moon can also guide you to Jupiter and Saturn on August 9, 10 and 11, 2019.
On August 7, 8 and 9, 2019, watch as the moon moves out from in front of the constellation Libra, then sweeps in front of neighboring Scorpius and past the bright planet Jupiter.
Mercury will be over 18 degrees west of the sun - that is, visible in our eastern sky before sunrise - all this upcoming week, from about August 7 to 14, 2019. With Mercury getting brighter by the day, you might it before sunrise for the next 2 weeks at northerly latitudes.
On August 4 to 6, 2019, the moon is a waxing crescent in the sunset direction. Look for it shortly after sunset, as day fades to night. The moon will be below Spica August 4, closest to it August 5 and above it August 6.
The 2019 Perseid meteor shower will likely peak August 12-13, unfortunately under the light of a bright moon. But the shower is already rising to its peak. Tips here for getting the most from this year's Perseid shower.
Watch for the young moon as it first appears in bright western twilight on August 1 or 2, 2019. By August 3, 4 and 5, the young moon is a beautiful sight for all to see in the west after sunset.
Don't listen to people who tell you that supermoons are hype. Supermoons aren't hype; they're folklore, like Blue Moons or Black Moons or the beloved Harvest Moons.
Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. He's a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.