A rare run of sky events arrives across August. Find shooting stars, trace the morning planets, watch Mercury meet Jupiter, and see Earth's shadow cross the Moon.
The year's most famous shooting stars
The Perseids peak around 14:53 UTC on August 13. A new Moon leaves the sky dark, giving Northern Hemisphere observers excellent conditions. Watch after midnight through dawn, when the Perseid radiant is highest.
A morning arc across the eastern sky
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune form the August planetary alignment. The most visible naked-eye targets are Mars and Saturn. Uranus needs binoculars and Neptune needs a telescope.
Two bright worlds near dawn
Jupiter and Mercury appear close together low in the eastern morning sky. This is a challenging conjunction because twilight arrives quickly and both planets sit close to the horizon.
Earth's shadow crosses the Moon
A deep partial lunar eclipse places most of the Moon inside Earth's dark umbra. Unlike a solar eclipse, it is safe to watch with the naked eye. Visibility includes parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America, depending on local moonrise and moonset.