As the nights become longer and true astronomical darkness more substantial, August brings back the skies for observing once again.

More accessible this month is Jupiter. Previously rising in the early hours of the morning, the planet will be visible around 11pm on most south eastern horizons, allowing a more realistic chance for newcomers to observe.

The show piece this month however, is without a doubt the Perseid meteor shower. Active until the 24th August, the Perseids (named after their constellation of origin- Perseus) are the finest amongst the summer showers to observe from the UK. The shower will peak on the 12/13 August and can sometimes reach over 50 meteors per hour.

The Perseids are an easy target for any level of observer to view as their radiant (their apparent origin in the sky) is circumpolar meaning they will be visible all night. For those wishing to attempt a view at the Perseids, then it is recommended that you look at the space of sky just to the sides of the radiant, as they will appear at their brightest here. The shower’s peak coincides with a new moon this year, so those near a dark site would be advised to use 12/13 to its full potential. Perseus lies in the north eastern skies and can be easily located by finding Capella, the brightest star in the north, then skimming slightly to the east.

With the nights drawing steadily longer, deep sky observing is becoming more and more accessible. The nights of waiting up until 3am to glimpse a faint patch of light, hardly discernable against the permanent twilight, have gone until next year.

The constellation of Perseus, described above, holds one of the gems of the northern skies- the Double Cluster. Named due to the pair of rich star fields within the northern tip of the constellation, the Double Cluster is a fine place to begin deep sky observing with a modest telescope. Apertures of 5inches and above should be able to make out the vast numbers of closely placed stars against a dark enough sky.

Also within the grasps of a 5inch scope is the globular cluster, Messier 13, located in Hercules in the west. Hercules, easily noticeable by its ‘keystone’, a group of four stars making a distorted square, is known as one of the most famous of the constellations. To find M13, place the viewfinder of the scope around 2/3 of the way up the eastern side of the ‘square’. Be careful not to miss the cluster though, even the brightest deep sky objects are very faint to the eye, and will need averted vision (looking out of the corner of your eye) to make them out more clearly.