Any nights with clear skies this week will be perfect for stargazing.

Each Monday I pick out the northern hemispheres celestial highlights (mid-northern latitudes) for the week ahead, but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy and eclipses.

This week is all about the absenceand then the dramatic and delicate reappearanceof the Moon. Its absence from the night sky is a boon for stargazing, making it much easier to see deep sky sights such as star clusters, galaxies and nebula (but also more stars).

It also means that for most of this week we can seefrom a dark sky sitethe Milky Way arcing across the sky and streaming down to the southern horizon right after dark. Look for Jupiter and Saturn in the south; the Milky Way is right there!

However, who doesnt like to see a super-slim crescent Moon emerge in the western sky during twilight?

After a New Moon this Wednesday, watch out for a crescent Moon hanging in the west after dark on Thursday through Saturday.

What is a Black Moon? Although it can also be the second New Moon in a single calendar monthwhich happens sometimesa Black Moon is better defined as the third New Moon in a season with four New Moons.

Either way, its a calendar quirk. More importantly, the New Moon occurs at 02:41 UTC and makes sure that this week is perfect for stargazing and looking for the Milky Way.

The Crescent Moon and Spica on Saturday.

In the nights after New Moon our satellite gradually moves away from the Sun and becomes slightly more illuminated by it each night. It will be a fabulous, but fleeting (and ultra-slim) 5%-lit sight on Thursday, August 20look just above the western horizon at dusk.

The following night, on Friday, August 21, look to the west again, this time slightly higher, to see a 12%-lit crescent Moon. Even on Saturday, August 22, the crescent Moonby now 20% illuminatedwill remain a delicate and fascinating sight, this time with bright star Spica just below it (see above).

The "Great Square of Pegasus" around midnight this weekand below it, the planet Mars!

Or is it the Great Diamond of Pegasus? Rising on its side in the eastern post-sunset night sky is a vastand one of the most geometrically preciseasterisms (shapes) in the night sky. Part of the constellation of Pegasus, the winged horse, the Great Square is easy to find because its corners are marked by four stars of roughly equal brightness.

The highest top star is Scheat, which is flanked by Alperatz (below, left) and Markab (below, right), with Algenib at the bottom, near to the horizon.

Once found, you can use the Great Square to gauge the darkness of your location. If you can see more than five stars within its boundaries, its pretty dark!

If youre looking an hour before midnight, look underneath the Great Squaredown to the eastern horizonand youll see the planet Mars rising.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

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Our Only Black Moon Of 2020 And A Stargazing Utopia: What To Watch For In The Night Sky This Week - Forbes