Welcome to the night sky report for August 2025 -- Your guide to the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and celestial events that are observable during the month. Mercury pops up above the horizon during the second half of August and appears very low, below 10 degrees altitude. Venus shines very brightly in the east each morning before sunrise, about 20 to 30 degrees above the horizon. Mars can be observed low in the west during the hour after sunset, appearing about as bright as the brightest stars in the Big Dipper. Jupiter appears in the east each morning, together with Venus, but much less bright. Finally, Saturn is observable late night to dawn and rises around 10:30 PM early in the month and around 8:30 PM by the end of the month. Find it high in the south as sunrise approaches. Also, in August, a number of star-studded figures soar overhead. Look for the constellation Lyra, shaped as a small parallelogram, which points to Epsilon Lyrae and the Ring Nebula (M57, NGC 6720). You can also spot three bright summer stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair, which form the Summer Triangle. Keep observing around the group of stars commonly known as the Teapot and you’ll be looking toward the center of the Milky Way. In that direction, you can see the Lagoon Nebula (M8, NGC 6523). August is also a great month to learn an easy-to-spot constellation – Cygnus the swan. The night sky is truly a celestial showcase, so get outside and explore its wonders from your own backyard.