Meteor showers and more will take their places in August night skies

August will be here once again, a time of monsoon weather, thunderstorms and showers as well as meteor showers!

August also brings us to the famous “dog days of summer,” a period in time when hot, sultry days are the rule and here in Arizona that means most of June, July and August.

Some say the term comes from the ancient Greeks, who noted the rising of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, the Dog Star, and the sun.

The rising of Sirius was thought to increase the heat in Earth gets in the Northern Hemisphere during this time of year.

Sirius is a most magical star and the Egyptians also placed a lot of importance in Sirius too.

Learn more about this star.

The dog days of 2022 are listed as July 3-Aug. 11. To many, these are the hottest period of the hemisphere’s summer.

Many other legends abound around the dog days of summer.

Just in time for these dog days, we have some inspirational quotes to help you and your dog get through the heat of summer.

August is also the time of one of the most memorable meteor showers of the year, if the moon is not in the way.

Next month, the full sturgeon moon will wash out the night sky on Aug. 12 at 6:36 p.m. Arizona time and reduce the meteor activity of the annual Perseids.

The Perseids are one of the most reliable of meteor showers in a calendar year and have been recorded since ancient time.

The parent comet of this meteor stream is Comet Swift-Tuttle. This is a large comet which orbits the sun once every 133 years.

Here is more on the Perseids and Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Your best views of this year’s meteor shower will come Aug. 1-7 if you look to the northeastern sky around 1 a.m. Arizona time until sunrise.

The constellation of Perseus will be rising in the sky and a few meteors should be visible as the moon will not be a factor.

Here is a chart to help you find the location of the Perseid shower.

There are some exciting things that you can do with meteor showers…you can photograph many of them!

Here is some great information on that topic.

On a final note, I have been viewing the Perseids for well over 40 years and some have been great and other have been rather dull with regards to numbers seen.

Meteor showers take clear dark skies as well as lots of patience!

A good lounge chair and a special drink – coffee or maybe an nice adult beverage make the experience complete.

Here are ideas for the adults.

Clear skies – have fun!

To print your own monthly star chart, click here.

To view satellites/dates/times of passage, click here.

Listen to the Dr. Sky Show on KTAR News 92.3 FM every Saturday at 3 a.m.

Podcasts are available here.