The full moon on Monday will be big and close And you'll see it rising in the eastern sky right after sunset. We call this moon the Sailor's Moon, the one moon in August that gets plenty of attention. In other places the moon is called The Sturgeon Moon, but we have seldom seen this endangered fish that once proliferated the East Coast and other places. It has also been called the Dog Moon.

The moon is close and reaches perigee on Wednesday, or 223,816 miles away from us. Each month, the moon approaches the Earth and gets closer than usual. The moon's orbit around the Earth is elliptical. The times when it is closest is called perigee. The times when it is farthest is apogee.

See if you can tell the difference. Does Monday night's moon look bigger? For the rest of this year, all full moons will be relatively close. The change is not necessarily perceptible. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius.

Tonight's Fireworks

For those out on Ocean Park looking for the fireworks tonight, use this opportunity try and spot the bright planet Venus low in the western sky. The planet is in the southwestern sky, visible just after sunset. Venus will be a good deal higher in the sky this autumn, but give it a try now.