Earth & Sky

Depending on where you live, you might be able to see a thin waxing crescent in the west today. Venus and the moon are bright, but they’re also in bright twilight now – near the western horizon after sunset.

As seen from around the world at this time of year, the constellation Orion the Hunter rises in the east in the wee hours before dawn.

Although Venus has officially been an evening object for a couple of months already, it’s just now beginning to return to visibility at mid-northern latitudes.

August 16, 2008. The full moon rises at sundown today. The August full moon has been called the Sturgeon Moon, Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.

Monday, August 11, 2008. You should see the most Perseid meteors tomorrow morning, and Wednesday morning. But predicting the time of a meteor shower’s peak and its intensity is as much art as science.

Here’s what you need to know to become as proficient as the experts at watching meteors.