Look at the pre-dawn morning sky as much as possible this next week. Tomorrow at 4:30 a.m., ever brilliant Venus is 18 degrees above the eastern horizon. Below Venus, 3 degrees is bright Jupiter. Every day, Venus draws closer to Jupiter. On the morning of Monday, Aug. 11, they will only be one degree apart. By Tuesday morning, Aug. 12, Venus will have moved past Jupiter, sitting closer to the horizon.
In August, there is the Perseids, predictably one of the best meteor showers of the year. This year, the Perseids are predicted to be best on the night of Tuesday, Aug. 12 and the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 13. Unfortunately, that night the gibbous (more than half lit ) moon rises at 9:17 pm. This will block out all but the brightest Perseid meteors.
If it is clear, it will still be worthwhile to observe the Perseids in the early morning on Tuesday, as there are sometimes very bright, long-lasting meteors.
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At 3:30 a.m. the gibbous moon is high in the south and Perseus is nearly overhead. Set up a comfortable lawn chair facing away from any bright lights, ideally looking toward the northeast with the moon to your back. Have insect repellent handy along with hot chocolate, tea or coffee and enjoy the show.
Also note Jupiter 6½ degrees above the eastern horizon with Venus only 1½ degrees below Jupiter.
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