It's certainly rare to have a total solar eclipse and one of the best meteor showers in the same month, but that's what's happening this August on nearly the same date! Only a small part of the world gets to see the total solar eclipse on August 12th, but weather permitting, all of us get to enjoy the Perseid meteor shower, peaking the night of August 12-13th.

Let me start with the total solar eclipse. Unlike the last one in 2024, the U.S. will be shut out on this one. The path of totality on the 12th runs generally from Siberia to near the North Pole. From the Pole, the path continues down across the eastern edge of Greenland and Iceland, and on to northern Spain. You can check apps like Sky Guide for all the details. In Northern Spain, the most populous area and a place many people will travel to, there'll be about 2 minutes of totality in the early evening.

Luckily, you won't have to wait long for the next total solar eclipse on August 2nd in 2027. The path of totality will run across portions of northern Africa, the Middle East, Spain, and Gibraltar. What's really cool about this eclipse is that there'll be up to six minutes of totality. Make your travel plans ASAP. It WILL be crazy crowded in the path of totality.

Early evening June skies featured quite a planet show with Jupiter and Venus closely passing each other in the western sky. Mercury also made a nice appearance. Mercury's no longer available in the evening, and Jupiter's barely visible early this month, slipping below the west-northwest horizon no later than an hour after sunset. Venus is still with us though and is the brightest star-like object in the sky this month, popping out in the low western twilight very soon after sunset and slipping below the horizon not long after evening twilight ends.

Unlike the eclipse, the entire world will be able to see the annual Perseid meteor shower, barring cloud cover. It's one of the best meteor showers of the year! The Perseids slowly get going in the last few days of July but build to a very, very active peak during the early morning hours of August 13th, roughly from around midnight to just before morning twilight fades in. This year, astronomical conditions couldn't be better because there'll be absolutely no moonlight interfering during the peak night of August 12-13, where in the countryside, you may see well over fifty meteors or more an hour, but even if you're viewing from areas of moderate light pollution, you should see a decent number of meteors or "shooting stars."

The Perseids are generated as the Earth in its orbit around the sun, plows through a debris cloud left behind by Comet Swift Tuttle that last passed through this part of the solar system back in 1992. Most of this debris is tiny, generally no larger than pea-sized gravel, but it's entering Earth's atmosphere at speeds well over 100,000 mph! As with the Perseids, you'll always see more meteors after midnight because your part of the Earth has rotated toward the direction of our planet's orbit around the sun. You're plowing directly into the comet debris! This shower is called the Perseids because the meteors seem to emanate from the general direction of the constellation Perseus, rising in the northeastern sky. Don't restrict your viewing just to the northeast sky though. Scan the entire celestial dome because meteors will appear everywhere, with their trails pointed back toward the general direction of Perseus. The best thing to do is lie back on the ground or a reclining lawn chair and roll your eyes all around the sky. Watching meteor showers alone is fun and even more fun with a group!

While you're enjoying the peak of the Perseids after midnight on August 13th, you can watch Saturn slowly rise in the southeast sky. It won't be super bright, but it will be the brightest star-like object in that part of the sky. With even a small telescope, you can easily see Saturn's beautiful ring system and many of its moons that resemble tiny stars swarming the planet. Mars and Jupiter are also available shortly before morning twilight in the low eastern skies. You also can't help but notice winter constellations like Orion emerging in that same part of the heavens.

Another good late-late show in August takes place after midnight on August 7th in the eastern sky. A little after 1 am, the last quarter crescent moon will rise just to the left of the bright Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Little Sisters. The moon will be so close to the Pleiades that in some parts of North America, the darkened west side of the moon's limb will temporarily pass in front of, or eclipse, some of the Pleiades' stars. Astronomers call these cover-ups occultations.

In the evening sky, the only planet available is the very bright planet Venus. It jumps out of early evening twilight in the low western sky and sets shortly thereafter. Venus has been our "evening star" for several months now but will gradually bow out as we move toward autumn. In early November it begins its stint as the "morning star."

The summer constellations are in full bloom now after evening twilight fades. In the low southern sky, you'll see Scorpius the Scorpion, which really resembles a scorpion. The brightest star of Scorpius is Antares with its ruddy glow, marking the heart of the great beast. On August 20th, the first quarter half-moon will be just off to the lower right of Antares.

Next door, just to the east of Scorpius, is Sagittarius the Archer, which looks much more like a teapot. Over in the northwestern sky is the Big Dipper, hanging by its handle. The much fainter Little Dipper is just to the right, with Polaris, the North Star, at the end of the handle. In the northeast is a giant "W." That's the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. That W outlines the throne of Queen Cassiopeia, who is eternally tied into it as punishment for her vanity that many of the gods of Mount Olympus took great exception to!

If you're lucky enough to live in the dark countryside, you'll be overwhelmed by the Milky Way band. Look for a milky ribbon of light reaching across the entire sky from the southwest horizon around the spout of the Sagittarius teapot all the way to Cassiopeia in the northeast, nearly bisecting the celestial dome. That's the Milky Way band, the combined light of billions and billions of stars that make up the plane of our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Nearly overhead is the Summer Triangle, made up of three bright stars: Vega, Altair, and Deneb. All three of these stars are the brightest in their respective constellations, Lyra the Harp, Cygnus the Swan, and Aquila the Evil Eagle. The Summer Triangle is a great tool for finding these constellations and many other celestial treasures.

The full moon this month is on the 27th or 28th, depending on where you live on our home planet. One of the more popular nicknames for the full moon in August is the Sturgeon. Other nicknames include the Grain Moon, Corn Moon, and Lightning Moon. This month, you could also name it the disappearing moon! That's because the moon will track across Earth's shadow, giving us viewers on our planet a lunar eclipse. Technically, it'll be a partial lunar eclipse but darn close to a total eclipse! At mid-eclipse, over 96 percent of the moon will be in Earth's umbra shadow. Most of the moon will take on a dark ruddy tinge. It'll be seen over the Eastern Pacific, both North and South America, Europe, and Africa.

Check out the August 2026 Starmap.

 

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and is author of the book, “Stars, a Month by Month Tour of the Constellations” published by Adventure Publications. Available at bookstores and online at www.adventurepublications.net.

If you have any astronomical questions or want me to write about something you’re seeing in the night sky drop me a line at mikewlynch@comcast.net