August is a prime month for Northern Hemisphere stargazing, with warm nights, a meteor shower, a rare planet lineup, and other celestial highlights to catch. The full ‘sturgeon moon' rises August 9, shining brightly all night. It's named after sturgeon fish, traditionally caught this time of year in the Great Lakes. On August 10, asteroid 2 Pallas hits its peak brightness. Though not visible to the naked eye, it's observable by telescope in the constellation Delphinus. Around August 10, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all appear in the sky together. Uranus and Neptune require a telescope to be seen. The Perseid meteor shower peaks August 12–13. Up to 100 meteors an hour are possible, but strong moonlight could reduce visibility significantly this year. Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation on August 19, offering a good morning view. Venus and Jupiter will also be visible in the predawn sky. On August 21, the crescent moon joins Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter before dawn. Stars Castor, Pollux, and Procyon will also appear near the eastern horizon. A new moon on August 23 brings dark skies, perfect for spotting galaxies, the Milky Way, and maybe even the Andromeda galaxy without moonlight interference. On August 26, look low in the west just after sunset to see the crescent moon right beside Mars, only 2.5 degrees apart.