The Night Sky This Month – August 2026
(Looking for last month’s ‘Night Sky’? Find it at this link…)
It’s the most wonderful month of the year for stargazers! The best meteor shower of the year peaks with the Moon completely out of the way this year. A total solar eclipse falls across Iceland and Spain, with much of Europe and parts of North America within the path of a partial solar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse falls across the Americas two weeks later. And, of course, we have the Milky Way emerging after dark with its myriad wonders. Here’s what to see in the night sky this month…
2 August 2026. Mercury reaches greatest western elongation 19o from the Sun. The planet lies in Gemini in the morning sky now and makes a fine apparition for northern observers for the next two weeks. This morning, it shines at magnitude +0.1 and brightens over the next many days as it moves back towards the Sun.
4 Aug. The Moon rises about 7o north of Saturn in the southeast around midnight. The ringed planet continues to brighten and fatten and present a tantalizing sight in a telescope as it moves towards opposition in early October.
6 Aug. Last Quarter Moon, 02:21 UT
9 Aug. A waning crescent Moon lies about 4o from Mars in the early-morning sky. Mars smolders just north of the upraised club of Orion. It shines at magnitude +1.3 and spans nearly 5” in a telescope as its slowly brightens and grows larger.
11 Aug. Look for Mercury near a wafer-thin Moon low over the east-northeastern horizon before sunrise.
12 Aug. New Moon, 17:37 UT
12 Aug. A total solar eclipse falls across the Arctic, over a portion of Greenland and Iceland, and down into Spain and the Mediterranean. Much of Europe and Canada will see a partial eclipse during the event. Timeanddate.com has timing and maps for the event at this link. Enter your location at the upper right of this page to get visibility of this spectacular event for your location.
12 Aug. The Perseid meteor shower peaks. This is the finest meteor shower of the year for northern stargazers, with 40-60 meteors per hour visible at the peak in the hours before dawn on August 12-13. And conditions could not be better as the shower peaks at New Moon. Once called the Tears of St. Lawrence, this meteor shower occurs as the Earth moves through a stream of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Current predictions put the peak at about 02:00 UT on August 13, but take a look on the night and morning of August 11-12 and 12-13 for the best chance to see meteors. Stay away from city lights, if you can, and you will be rewarded with a bright meteor every minute or two. And if you miss the peak, do not worry – you can see Perseids from the end of July into mid-August.
14-16 Aug. Look again for Mars in the morning sky as it lies about a degree southwest of the fine star cluster M35 in Gemini. Take in the pairing in binoculars or a telescope.
15 Aug. Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation at 46o east of the Sun. Northern observers see the planet low over the western horizon after sunset; southern-hemisphere observers get a better view. Today, a crescent Moon sits about 5o to the planet’s west. Venus shines at magnitude -4.3 and presents a half-lit disk in a telescope. As the planet slowly moves back towards the horizon in the coming days and weeks it transitions to a crescent shape.
20 Aug. First Quarter Moon, 02:46
20-21 Aug. Antares passes close to the Moon tonight (August 20 in the western hemisphere). Observers on the south island of New Zealand and much of Australia see the Moon occult the star on the night of the 21st.
28 Aug. Full Moon, 04:19 UT (‘Sturgeon Moon’)
28 Aug. As always, two weeks after a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse falls. Observers in the Americas see an impressive total lunar eclipse, though western North America sees the eclipse in progress as the Moon rises, while observers in Africa and western Europe see the eclipse in progress as the Moon sets. Once again, Timeanddate.com has interactive maps and timing – just enter your location at the upper right of the page.