August 2019: 3 things stargazers won't want to miss in the night sky

When it comes to some of the most exciting astronomy events in August 2019, there will be several chances to watch, as the events can be seen over several nights.

Here are three of the best reasons to look at the sky this month, according to AccuWeather.

• Planets align with the moon:
  August 9-11
  Jupiter and Saturn will put on a show worth bringing out the telescope for during the second week of August. The two planets will both be visible in the sky for weeks, but for three nights in a row, there will be great opportunities to see the moon nearby as the two planets align. On August 9, the moon will appear close to Jupiter. On August 10, the moon will appear directly between them. On August 11, the moon will appear near Saturn, creating a great opportunity to spot the planet's rings through a telescope.


• Perseid meteor shower:
  August 12-13
  
  The Perseid meteor shower is an annual shower that is often cited as one of the most popular Northern Hemisphere meteor showers of the year -- both because it falls during nice weather and because of its high meteor shower rate. The peak will be overnight Aug 12-13, but you should be able to spot some meteors in the nights preceding and following the peak. This year, August's sturgeon full moon is coming a few days later and will wash out some of the dimmer meteors. However, the Perseids have enough meteors -- 100 per hour -- that the sky should still put on a show.

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• Orion returns:
  Late August
  Orion, one of the most well-known constellations, will rise once again in the latter part of the month. The return of the iconic constellation that resembles a hunter is also a sign that fall is on the way, AccuWeather reports. You can spot it in the eastern sky just before dawn.