Here are the Moon phases in the Northern hemisphere for September 2010 and other interesting things of note in the sky.

1st September: Last Quarter
8th September: New Moon
15th September: First Quarter
23rd September: Full Moon

This month the planet Jupiter is in opposition.

Planets are said to be in opposition when they are opposite the Sun relative to the Earth. Jupiter will be in opposition on the evening of September 21st. If the sky is clear of cloud this will provide an excellent opportunity to see Jupiter as it rises as the Sun sets and sets as the Sun rises. Also, being at its closest to Earth it will appear at its brightest.

Using binoculars, you’ll perhaps get lucky and glimpse Jupiter’s four main moons - Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - as first discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1609.

Here are the Moon phases in the Northern hemisphere for August 2010 and other interesting things of note in the sky.

3rd August: Last Quarter
10th August: New Moon
16th August: First Quarter
24th August: Full Moon

The biggest astronomical event of the year - the Perseid meteor shower peaks on 12th August, however it’s likely you’ll see ’shooting stars’ from the 11th to 14th August.

Look up towards the Plough (Big Dipper) after 11pm and through the early hours of the morning to get the best views of perhaps as many as 100 meteors per hour.

Watch the awesome trailer for the 2010 Perseid Meteor Shower here!

Some other things to keep you ticking over for August:

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