The moon appears low in the south in our evening skies this weekend. The gibbous moon spends the weekend going through the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, the southern-most constellation in the zodiac. For those walking along the Island’s south shore, the moon will be an especially impressive sight, so close to the water and to the horizon.

The moon will appear higher in the coming week as it moves farther along the zodiac, passing into the constellation Capricornus. The moon will be full Tuesday through Wednesday. The August full moon is referred to as the Sailor’s Moon.

Tides will run more extreme than normal, but not as extreme as they were in June and July. Two astronomical events coincide. The moon is in perigee on Monday, which means that the moon will be closer to the earth than at any other time in its 28 day orbit around the Earth. The gravitational pull of the moon, together with the gravitational pull of the sun, is also greater than usual. Expect the tides to run higher and lower than normal.

With the moon taking a more dominant position in our evening skies, stargazing takes a bit of a holiday. Only the brightest stars can be seen when the moon is full. But this is also a good time to refamiliarize with the night’s brightest stars, the constellations they reside in and the relationship in space between them.

The Big Dipper appears in the northwestern sky. The dipper is tipped down, as though pouring water. Vega, one of the brightest stars of summer, is high, almost at the zenith. The constellation Pegasus, the horse, is rising in the east.