Did you know, that one of the best meteor showers of the entire year, is right around the corner?

Welcome once again to our unique column, which takes you on a

most magical journey, thru time and space!

Join me, Dr.Sky®; as I fill you in on our Arizona skies of August and September 2012.

Get set for one of the best meteor showers of the year, the annual

Perseid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of August 12th

will provide observers with an opportunity to see well over 40 meteors per hour, for lucky observers that have clear and dark skies!

To view the shower, find a dark location and face the NE sky, from

11PM till dawn.

The radiant of this shower, is located in the constellation of Perseus and the meteors from this shower are from a comet, 109P/

Swift-Tuttle.

The Moon will not be a problem for observers of this year’s Perseid show, as it will be a small waning crescent, rising well after midnight.

An amazing fact about this shower; these tiny comet particles are

for the most part, as small as beach sand and travel well over 37

per second! That makes for an amazing light show. Don’t miss it!

In August, Earth’s nearest neighbor, the Moon, is full on the 1st,

Full Sturgeon Moon, another Full Moon, the Full Corn Moon, on

August 31st and Last Quarter on the 9th, New Moon on the 17th and First Quarter on the 24th.

August has some interesting planets to view….look for Venus and

Jupiter, high in the SE sky before dawn. Mercury, best in the morning sky on the 16th. In the evening sky, Saturn, low in the SW

at sunset. In September, we find that the Moon is at Last Quarter on the 8th, New Moon on the 15th , First Quarter on the 22nd, with

another Full Moon, the famous Harvest Moon on the night of the 29th. September planets abound, with Venus and Jupiter high in the

morning sky, before sunrise. The evening sky is devoid of major planets…finally Fall arrives on the 23rd at 8AM local time…the

Autumnal Equinox.

From the Dr.Sky® realm of aviation, we now return to the National Championship Air Races and Air Show, at Stead Airfield,

near Reno, Nevada. The races return, September 12-16th, after a

tragic air crash and loss of life.

This is my memorial to pilot Jimmy Leeward and his modified P-51 Mustang, “The Galloping Ghost” and ALL those that lost life and were injured. In particular, our thoughts and prayers go out to

Michael Wogan, of Scottsdale, who was killed at the air races. He

loved airplanes and it was his dream, to be at the races!

Join me, Dr.Sky® for some exciting luxury Astronomy cruises, to

some amazing destinations. We have teamed up with Tropical Sails Corporation of Arizona. We have our first out of country Dr.Sky®cruise, off

the coast of Costa Rica, in March of 2013. Join me, for this amazing 7 day cruise on the great tall ships of Star Clippers. To learn more, call Tropical Sails Corp at 623 444-8195. This will be

a most amazing way to see the skies at sea, in a dark location. Closer, to home, I will see you at the many locations that host our

Dr.Sky programs, along with the Az Challenger Center in Peroia.

Clear Skies……..