The solar eclipse of August 12, 2026, was total as seen from Greenland, Iceland and Spain. The northern path of the eclipse path was plagued with clouds. But, in Spain – where the eclipse happened near sunset – the views were glorious! This video has some of the best views from the EarthSky community. Thank you to all who submitted images! Watch in the player above or on YouTube.
The Perseid meteor shower is now past its peaks mornings (August 12 and 13). But you might catch some meteors in a dark country sky through this weekend. In this video, EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd shares 9 easy meteor-watching tips that can help you spot 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. Watch in the player above, or on YouTube. Prefer to read? Read about the Perseids.
Are you in the Southern Hemisphere? From some of the most populated areas in the Southern Hemisphere, the Perseids radiant doesn’t rise at all. It’s too far north. So the Perseids aren’t a great shower for you. But you might still catch some Delta Aquariids, which you can see much better than those of us in the north can.
This week: Moon visits Venus at its farthest from sunset
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.
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 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. Will you see them? It’ll be tough. Jupiter is very bright, and so might be visible. Mercury is fainter. The pair will be positioned very close to the eastern horizon as dawn is breaking. So a clear horizon line will be necessary to spot them. A rural sky wouldn’t hurt either! And a hilltop! Chart via EarthSky.You’ll likely need binoculars to catch Mercury and Jupiter on August 15. Here’s the binocular view. At their closest, they’ll be about half a degree apart, about the width of a full moon. 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.
Is August the best month for skywatching?
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 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.
Bottom line: EarthSky’s visible planets and night sky guide. Watch a video about the solar eclipse. And coming up: the moon will be farthest from the sunset on Saturday.
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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