On Aug. 16, its beauty will be enhanced by a young crescent moon shining next to it. In the morning sky, the iconic winter constellations are sweeping westward past Mars. A waning moon joins Mars on Aug. 9. This year no moon will interfere with the annual Perseid meteor shower, which should peak in the predawn hours of Aug. 13. Minnesota Starwatch is a service of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, located in the Tate Laboratory of Physics and Astronomy in Minneapolis.