Constellations, deep-sky objects, planets and events, Tonight’s
Sky, Highlights of the August Sky In the evening twilight,
Saturn and Mars form a lovely trio with the bright star Spica as
they dip toward the western horizon. Aim a telescope at the
planets to reveal their stunning features. Constellations and
Deep-Sky Objects Stargazing on a hot August night reveals a
multitude of wonders in the summer night sky. Lyra, the Small
Harp, lies high in the late evening sky. Its main star is the
great Vega, one of the brightest in the sky. Look for Lyra by
locating Vega and then the parallelogram of stars nearby.
Epsilon Lyrae, the bright star near Vega, is actually a
wonderful quadruple-star system, known as the Double-Double. In
the parallelogram of Lyra lies the dramatic Ring Nebula. It is
an expanding shell of glowing gas expelled by the dying star at
its center. The great constellation Cygnus, the Swan, flies high
through the August night. Using bright Vega as your guide star,
look for the cross just to the eas