August 2026 brings a rare celestial double feature as a total solar eclipse crosses parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain on August 12, while North America catches a partial view, immediately followed by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower under moonless skies.
Stargazers are looking at one of the busiest months of the year for planetary alignments, meteor displays, and lunar events. The late-summer eclipse cycle peaks mid-month, providing a rare alignment of the sun, Earth, and moon that brings both solar and lunar spectacles within a single 35-day window. Alongside the main astronomical attractions, brilliant evening planets and peak Milky Way viewing conditions round out a packed calendar for amateur astronomers.
August 12 Total Solar Eclipse and North American Partial Views
The month’s central event occurs on August 12, when a total solar eclipse cuts across a narrow path over eastern Greenland, western Iceland, Portugal, and northern Spain. Totality along this path will last up to 2 minutes and 18 seconds, which is less than half the duration of the eclipse that crossed North America in April 2024.
While full totality remains confined to Europe and the Arctic, millions of observers across North America will experience a partial solar eclipse during afternoon hours. In the United States, 26 states—primarily concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest—will see the moon take a bite out of the solar disk. Canadian provinces will experience even deeper partial phases, with more than half the sun covered in parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and over 60 percent blocked in Nunavut.
Observers in the Washington, D.C. region will see a much shallower partial phase obscuring about 1 percent of the sun between 1:17 p.m. and 2:27 p.m. EDT. In Canton, less than 10 percent of the sun will be shadowed between 1:11 p.m. and 2:12 p.m.
Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks Under Perfect Moonless Skies
Just hours after the solar eclipse wraps up, the Perseid meteor shower reaches its annual peak overnight on August 12 and 13. Because the new moon coincides almost exactly with the shower’s maximum, lunar glare will not wash out faint shooting stars.
Observers stationed in dark-sky rural areas away from city light pollution have the highest probability of catching the upper end of that hourly count, while light-polluted suburban locations will see significantly lower numbers.
Sturgeon Moon Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse at Month’s End
The month concludes with a deep partial lunar eclipse accompanying the full Sturgeon Moon on the night of August 27 into the early morning hours of August 28. North and South America secure prime overnight viewing positions, while Europe and Africa catch the final phases before dawn.
EDT on August 28, 96 percent of the lunar disk will slip into Earth’s dark central shadow, the umbra, though UPI reports 93 percent coverage depending on exact regional calculations. The partial eclipse sequence begins at 9:23 p.m. on August 27 and concludes at 3:01 a.m. on August 28 in the D.C. area.
As the moon passes through the umbra, it often takes on a striking copper or reddish hue. <a href="https://www.upi.
Unlike solar events, lunar eclipses require zero eye protection, making binoculars and telescopes ideal tools for examining the darkened craters.
Planetary Alignments and Peak Milky Way Visibility
Beyond the eclipses and meteors, August delivers exceptional deep-sky conditions. Because new moon phases clear the sky early in the month, dark-sky windows open wide for viewing the Milky Way arching overhead through the Summer Triangle.
- Venus shines brightly in the western sky after sunset, reaching greatest eastern elongation on August 15 as a half-lit evening star.
- Jupiter re-emerges from solar glare mid-month, climbing higher in the eastern predawn sky and pairing closely with Mercury on August 15.
- Mars drifts near red giant star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus, passing close to a thin crescent moon on August 9.
- Saturn and Neptune remain accessible later in the night for observers equipped with binoculars or telescopes.
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