A rendezvous of planets by Steve Spoden
   With a sharp eye, there’s no need for a telescope, or even a pair of binoculars, to view an ongoing sky show this month. As darkness falls, three planets come into view in the western sky.
   All this month, as the western sky begins to darken at sunset, Venus will come into view low in the western sky, appearing as a blazing star. By  9 p.m., Mars, and the gas giant, Saturn, will come into view on either side and a short distance away from the brilliant beacon—Mars to the left and Saturn to the right—as illustrated above for this evening. Both planets will appear much dimmer than Venus but will become easy to see as the sky darkens.
   Each clear evening, observers will notice the change in positions of Mars and Saturn in relation to Venus as the planets travel on their orbits around the sun. On August 12 and 13, a young crescent moon will join the show below and then to the left of the planets.
    By 10 p.m., another planet, Jupiter, will rise in the eastern sky shining brightly next to a very dim Uranus.
    Until next time, clear skies!