Perseid meteor shower coming! Best viewing on August 12 and 13
Want to see the most meteors possible? In 2026, the best time to watch the Perseid meteor shower is after midnight through dawn on August 12 and 13. You’ll have dark skies. And since the Perseids are often bright, you might see 50-100 meteors per hour. Remember, even one bright meteor can make your night! In this video, EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd shares 9 easy meteor-watching tips that can help you spot many more shooting stars. Whether you’re a first-time skywatcher or a seasoned observer, these simple techniques can make this year’s Perseid meteor shower unforgettable.
The Perseids’ radiant point rises late in the evening, around 11 p.m. your local time, nearly due northeast in the constellation Perseus the Hero. That’s why Perseids are best viewed from midnight to dawn. The greatest number of meteors are always visible after the radiant rises. You’ll see the most meteors just before dawn, when the radiant is high in the sky. But don’t just stare toward the radiant point. The meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. Chart via EartSky.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mandy Daniels captured this image of the last quarter moon on September 14, 2025, in the UK. Thank you, Mandy! The moment of the 3rd quarter moon will fall at 9:21 p.m. Central Daylight Time today, August 5. That’s 2:21 UTC on August 6. And it’s 2:21 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time. It’ll rise in the middle of the night and set around midday. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.
The thick waning crescent moon will approach and pass the Pleiades star cluster in the early morning hours of August 6 and 7. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Best sky sights for this week
Join EarthSky’s Marcy Curran for your skywatching best bets for this week. Saturn is rising late at night and is visible through dawn. The moon visits Saturn early in the week and then passes by the famous Pleiades star cluster around August 7. See what’s in store in the night sky this week.
Early August morning planets: Saturn, Mercury, Mars
As viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the early August morning sky features 3 bright planets: Saturn shining in the south, Mars climbing in the east and Mercury hugging the eastern horizon. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
Solar eclipse coming! Watch a video
On August 12, 2026, the moon will pass directly in front of the sun, creating one of nature’s most breathtaking sights: a total solar eclipse. Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd for a preview of this extraordinary event. See where the path of totality will cross Earth and find out how long the eclipse will last, what observers can expect to see and why total solar eclipses are among the most awe-inspiring events in the sky.
If you’re lucky enough to be in parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain on August 12, 2026, you will be treated to a total solar eclipse. Areas outside the path will see a partial solar eclipse, including viewers in the upper Midwest and northeastern United States. Remember that for a partial solar eclipse, you must wear approved, safe solar eclipse glasses. If you’re watching the total solar eclipse, you might even see a Perseid meteor zip by! More on the Perseids below. Image via Michael Zeiler’s EclipseAtlas.com.
August, the best month of the year for skywatching, is here! Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd for a tour of August’s best sky sights, including the glorious Milky Way, a total solar eclipse, Mars beside Orion the Hunter, Mercury’s morning appearance, and the side-by-side return of brilliant Sirius and Jupiter. Watch here or on YouTube.
August 8 and 9: Moon visits a trio of bright stars and Mars
In the early morning hours on August 8 and 9, the waning crescent moon will move among the bright stars Capella, Aldebaran and Betelgeuse. The red planet Mars is there too. On the morning of August 9, the moon will lie close to Mars. Chart via EarthSky.
August 10 and 11 mornings: Moon near twin stars and Mars
In the morning hours on August 10 and 11, the thin waning crescent moon will float near the red planet Mars. They’ll also be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux (the brighter of the pair). Chart via EarthSky.
This GOES-19 CORR1 coronagraph from November 18-19, 2025 (designed to show coronal mass ejections from the sun), captured a fun view of the new moon, which would normally not be visible from Earth during this phase. This year’s August new moon brings us a total solar eclipse. The moment of new moon will fall at 17:37 UTC on August 12, 2026. That’s 12:37 p.m. Central Daylight Time in the Americas. And it’s 5:37 a.m. New Zealand Standard Time on August 13. It’s the last of 5 new supermoons in a row. New moons rise and set with the sun. Nights around the new moon offer the darkest skies. See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze. Images via NOAA/ GOES.
August 14-15: Moon visits Venus as it reaches farthest from the sun
The moon and Venus – Earth’s brightest neighboring planet – will be shining in the western twilight after sunset on August 14 and 15. You can’t miss Venus! It’s exceedingly bright and will penetrate the bright twilight. It’ll remain visible in the evening sky through October. Greatest elongation – when Venus will reach its farthest distance from the sunset – is at 6 UTC on August 15, 2026. And shortly after sunset on August 14, the very thin waxing crescent moon will float above the western horizon, with Venus shining nearby in the twilight. On the following evening, August 15, the crescent moon, glowing with earthshine, will lie close to brilliant Venus. Virgo’s bright star, Spica will be nearby. Chart via EarthSky.
August 15 morning: Close conjunction of Jupiter and Mercury
Shortly before sunrise on August 15, Jupiter and Mercury will pass close to one another – only about one full moon width apart – in the bright morning twilight. They will be positioned very close to the eastern horizon, so a low, clear horizon line will be necessary to spot them. Chart via EarthSky.
August 15 morning: Binocular view of Jupiter and Mercury
Here’s a binocular view of Mercury and Jupiter in the morning twilight before sunrise on August 15. The planets are easily separated in the bright morning twilight. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
August 16 and 17 evenings: Moon near Venus and Spica
The waxing crescent moon will hang between brilliant Venus and the bright star Spica on the evening of August 16. The following night will find the moon moving away from the planet and the bright star. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. They’ll set after darkness falls. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
August 20: 1st quarter moon
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Amol Gaikaiwari took this picutre on May 23, 2026, in India and wrote: “The moon was in its first quarter phase. It was roughly 51% illuminated, with half of the lunar disk brightly lit against the night sky.” Thank you, Amol! This month’s moment of 1st quarter moon will fall at 2:46 UTC on August 20, 2026. That’s 9:46 p.m. Central Daylight Time in the Americas on August 19. And it’s 2:46 p.m. New Zealand Standard Time. A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for a 1st quarter moon high in the sky at sundown.
The 1st quarter moon will lie near the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion, Antares, on the evening of August 19. Then, on the next night, the moon floats even closer to Antares. They’ll set around the middle of the night. Chart via EarthSky.
Late August morning planets: Saturn, Mars, Jupiter
As viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the late August morning sky will feature 3 bright planets: Saturn shining in the south, Mars climbing in the east and Jupiter hugging the eastern horizon. Note that these planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
August 21: Moon hangs with Scorpius
The waxing gibbous moon will sit in the middle of the “J” shaped constellation, Scorpius the Scorpion. It will also lie near its brightest star, Antares. They’ll set around the middle of the night. Chart via EarthSky.
August 22 and 23 evenings: Moon near Teapot
The bright waxing gibbous moon will pass in the front of the Teapotasterism of Sagittarius on the evenings of August 22 and 23. On the first evening, it sits near the direction of the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Block out the moon’s light to help spot some of the stars of the Teapot. They’ll set after the middle of the night. Chart via EarthSky.
The bright waxing gibbous moon will pass through the arrowhead shape of Capricornus the Sea-goat on the evenings of August 25 and 26. Try to block out the moon to see some of the stars of the “arrowhead” shape. You can catch them until around dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Deep partial eclipse overnight on August 27-28
As twilight darkens in the west on August 27, the full Sturgeon Moon will glow brightly in the east. It undergoes a wonderful and dramatic partial lunar eclipse that night. The eclipse will be visible in Africa, Europe, Scandinavia, Iceland, parts of Greenland, Antarctica, most of the Americas and eastern Pacific Ocean. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
August 29 and 30 evenings: Moon near Saturn
The waning gibbous moon joins Saturn on the evenings of August 29 and 30. You can catch them until dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
August evening planet
In early August shortly after sunset, brilliant Venus will lie low in the west. To its upper left is Spica, the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. By month’s end, Spica will have dropped much closer to Venus. Venus will reach its greatest distance from the sun on August 14-15. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
August morning planets
In the first half of August, Mars will rise out of the morning twilight and will lie near the star Betelgeuse and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. In the second half of the month, Mars along with Castor and Pollux will have climbed higher above the horizon. The bright star Procyon will also join them above the eastern horizon. Chart via EarthSky.From the Northern Hemisphere, on the first few mornings of August, Mercury will be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. By August 10, Mercury will brighten and lie below them, forming a straight line with the twin stars. Chart via EarthSky.Jupiter will appear in the bright morning twilight before sunrise around August 12, with Mercury nearby. After August 15, for a few days, Mercury can be seen below Jupiter before disappearing in the bright morning twilight. Then during the second half of the month, Jupiter will steadily climb higher each morning. Chart via EarthSky.For Southern Hemisphere viewers, Mercury will lie low in the northeast during the first week of August. And Mars will be to its upper left. Chart via EarthSky.
August stars
If you’re out stargazing on any August evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the evening sky.
If you have a dark sky, it’s easy to observe the edgewise view into our own galaxy – the Milky Way – spanning across the heavens. Need help finding it? Look toward the constellation Cygnus the Swan. You might know this constellation by its asterism, the Northern Cross. The Swan swims along the Milky Way. Its brightest star is Deneb, the Swan’s Tail. Additionally, the constellation Cygnus contains one of the most beloved double stars in the sky, Albireo, which appears blue and gold. Chart via EarthSky.The constellation Lyra the Harp is another summer favorite. It consists of a triangle and a parallelogram. Its brightest star is Vega. Then, look next to it for the famous Double Double Star, Epsilon Lyrae. It’s really 4 stars in all. Chart via EarthSky.Aquila the Eagle is home to the star Altair, which is one of the corners of the Summer Triangle. In addition, you can use Aquila to starhop your way to the Wild Duck Cluster in Scutum the Shield. Image via EarthSky.This chart shows the 3 stars of the Summer Triangle in the evening sky, looking east. Note the size of Vega’s constellation, Lyra. So the Summer Triangle is big! A 12-inch (30 cm) ruler, placed at an arm’s length from your eye, will span the approximate distance from Vega to Altair. And an outstretched hand with thumb and pinky spread will fill the gap between Vega and Deneb. You can see the Summer Triangle in the evening from around May through the end of every year. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Here is the sky dome view for August 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, they built an observatory to capture images of the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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