It’s the height of summer, with autumn approaching. By the end of August, the sun sets around 20.11 BST - that’s about an hour earlier than July, so make the most of the light evenings while they last.

The Solar System

The sun is still pretty active, but the fairly long hours of daylight reduce the opportunity to see any aurora. Keep up to date at www.spaceweather.com.

The phases of the moon are as follows: New Moon, August 4; First Quarter, August 12; Full Moon - called the Sturgeon Moon, after the large number of fish found in the Great Lakes of North America at this time of year - August 19; Last Quarter, August 26.

The Planets

Mercury is highest in the sky on August 22, and is best seen in the west, setting soon after the sun at the start of the month. It’s a pretty bright object showing phases similar to Venus, which is much brighter and sets somewhat earlier than Mercury. Mars and Jupiter are in the predawn sky, while Saturn is close to south around the midnight hour.

The Perseids are the most reliable meteor shower of the year. They will peak around the August 12 and 13, and can be seen after dark in the north-east; the radiant is below Cassiopeia and rises with it through the night. The optimum time is midnight –claims are for 60 per hour!  

Future news

A supernova is coming. Sometime before the end of September, we are expecting a new star to “blaze” for about a week in the constellation of the Northern Crown or Corona Borealis. Don’t worry if you miss it - you only have to wait 80 years for it to happen again!

There is also a good chance that a comet will appear in our sky in October. However, the most predictable aspect of comets is their unpredictability, so don’t hold me to that!

Brian Sheen runs the Roseland Observatory at Truro High School for Girls. Visit Facebook @roselandobservatory or www.roselandobservatory.co.uk or