August opens with the Moon a waning gibbous object, near last quarter, and best viewed after midnight. It will cross the sky all morning, setting at noon. Full Moon occurs on the 24th, the smallest full Moon of the year, as it is furthest from us in its elliptical orbit. On the 7th, it is among the stars of cluster M35; on the 13th, Mercury shares the spotlight, along with Venus, Mars, and Saturn, all grouped together on the western horizon; by August 17, the Moon and Antares are within 2 degrees of each other; and on the 26th, Jupiter is within 7 degrees.

On June 1, the waning Moon rises around 1 a.m., and sets in the west shortly after sunrise. On June 14 after sunset, the thin sliver of the very new Moon hangs in the west next to Venus and M44, the Beehive Cluster. Watch for Mars next to the Moon in the southwest on the 16th. Saturn and the first-quarter Moon brush by each other on the evening of the 18th – look straight south at 9 p.m. By the 24th, Antares, the giant red carbon star, and the Moon are within a degree of each other. The Moon is full on the 26th; a partial eclipse in the eastern hemisphere.