Hello, this is Minnesota Starwatch for August 2000.
Summer is Milky Way time in the Northern Hemisphere.
In August the Milky Way will be a diffuse glow stretching almost directly north-south across the sky. If you have a clear view of the southern horizon in a dark, rural environment, Sagittarius will be at the Milky Way's southern tip, just above the horizon. The brightest stars in the constellation look like a teapot. With binoculars you can scan the luminous star clouds of the galactic center. This writer just returned from observing at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in northern Chile.