August astronomy outlook: Blue Moon rises and Perseids arrive

August does not bring us many astronomical events, but it does deliver one of the best meteor showers of the year and a Blue Moon.

Kicking off the month, a new moon arrives on August 4th. With the Moon invisible at this time, it is the best chance to spot star constellations that are often obscured by the moonlight.

Soon after, the Perseid Meteor Shower reaches its peak. Active from mid-July to August 24th, this shower regularly produced up to 60 meteors an hour at its peak and has been known to reach up to 100.

The show will be visible across the UK and Ireland, depending on the weather outlook, but will be best observed once the Moon is beyond the horizon from around 10:30 pm.

Finally, we see a blue moon. Not literally, but this year's Sturgeon Moon is the third full moon of a summer season with four.

We'll bring you the forecasts you need to spot the shooting stars and Blue Moon closer to their arrival.