August’s warm midsummer nights provide a sort of sacred runway for skywatchers aiming high to reach the grand vistas unfolding in the great beyond. The month’s temperate character provides ample opportunities for getting outside for memorable overnight sojourns through deep sky panoramas.

Camping out in the backcountry or setting up a star party in state or national parks is feasible for skywatchers during only a few clement months of the year.

The rest of us are for the most part backyard campers, committed to the home fires, living under the falsehood that the stars are out of reach. Existing as we do in the golden age of astronomy, however, nothing could be further from the truth. No matter where you are, the celestial firmament is within flying distance just over there.

For pre-departure, “when that fat old sun in the sky is falling … the last sunlight disappears,” as Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour sings, find an open, plane windswept field with as few objects as possible blocking your line of sight of outer space.

Check your bearings by first finding Polaris, the North Star. Cast around until you find the Big Dipper in Constellation Ursa Major, “the great bear,” and then connect the ladle’s front two stars, Merak on the bottom and Debha on top, in a line. Follow that line to find 2.1 magnitude Polaris: direction due north. That means east is to your right, west to the left and south, of course, behind you. Bearings: check.

After nightfall, check your wings by finding the Northern Cross in Constellation Cygnus, “the swan,” high in the east. Wind speed and orientation: check.

Taxi out onto the airstrip and check the charts: the Summer Triangle stars, composed of white supergiant Deneb in the east, blue-tinged white A0Va main sequence (type of spectral class) Vega high in the west and blue-white Altair in the south. Final system: check. Cleared for takeoff.

As you accelerate, follow the straight runway lights of the planets of the solar system.

This month hosts a series of planetary conjunctions starting on Aug. 1 with Jupiter, Mercury and Venus lining up in the evening twilight. Avoiding the permanently blinding sun, look low to the west with binoculars just after the sun sets at 8:14 p.m. to observe Jupiter in Constellation Leo highest of the three to the left, Mercury shining at minus-0.1 in the middle and Venus just a few degrees above the horizon.

Don’t hesitate during your takeoff because Venus, still bright at minus-3.9 magnitude, disappears from radar about 45 minutes after sunset. Mercury follows suit 15 minutes later, and Jupiter drops beyond the horizon 45 minutes afterward.

On Aug. 19, Mercury reaches 6° above the horizon, its maximum altitude above the horizon for skywatchers viewing on or near the 40th north parallel. Look for Venus to the right.

In a year of conjunctions, beacons Jupiter and Venus really get it together Aug. 27 by pulling within 0.1° of one another. Look very low to the west 45 minutes after sunset to witness the goddess of love and the king of the gods comingle their brilliances, inseparable even in a telescope’s highly magnified field of view.

Banking left to the south, you’ll see Constellation Scorpius, “the scorpion,” clawing toward Constellation Libra, “the scales of law, fairness and civility.” This August, Scorpius frames an exceptionally enchanting and rare conjunction of Mars and Saturn not to be missed.

As earth leaves Mars in its contrail, the Red Planet appears to shrink in size and brightness from magnitude minus-0.8 to minus-0.3. No matter, the gold coppery orb is still close enough for some surface features. Saturn, dimming as well, still offers glorious views of the rings.

This conjunction is one for the flightlog. Watch as Mars lives up to its status as a “planet,” Greek for “wanderer” as it dances in the south-southwestern sky. The god of war zips out of Libra into Scorpius to line up with red giant star Antares, “the rival of Mars,” and Saturn at dusk Aug. 23 and 24.

Watch for the crescent moon to pass Venus, Mercury and Jupiter on Aug. 4-5. Overnight Aug. 11-12, coincident with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, watch Luna form an impressively large equilateral triangle with Mars and Saturn while the sun sets.

After soaring around the solar neighborhood, it’s time to point your aircraft due south directly into to the rich starfields, nebulae and myriad star clusters, open your telescope’s throttle all the way and let it fly.

The moon is full at 3:26 p.m. Aug. 18, and is called the Full Sturgeon Moon.