Retired faculty member and administrator Mr. Lutken offers guidance on what to expect in Mother Nature in August.

Hope everybody is having a good Texas summer.......about as hot and dry as it gets!! Seems we've been in the "Dog Days" of August since June!! Sirius, the Dog Star, is very close to the sun. It's so bright that ancient Egyptians thought it added to the heat!  When it begins to pull ahead of the sun, we'll start to cool off, but that's still weeks away.

Evening skies:

The summer stars of Sagittarius, Scorpio, and the Summer Triangle are high in the sky after sunset. They'll sink into the west as we get closer to fall.

Perseid Meteor Shower is a late-night show on August 11/12/13, although the moon may be too bright.

The Full Moon is the night of the 11th-12th.

Morning skies:  

Bright planets in the morning: Saturn setting in the west, Jupiter and Mars directly overhead, Venus very low in the east. Some Fall and Winter stars are starting to rise ahead of the sun. That's a good sign that shorter/cooler days are slowly approaching! 

At the Quarry and around town: Chimney Swifts fill the air, cicadas are singing, Green Herons are hunting. 

You never know what you'll see:  Photo of a wild looking Polyphemus Moth, discovered by some 5th graders on an August morning years ago!!

School starts soon, ready or not.......but don't forget to go outside and take time to look around whenever you can. A good thing to do no matter what!!

PKL