The August 2026 night sky: what to see this month
August's night-sky highlights — a dark New-Moon window on the 12th, the Perseids and eclipses, and how to plan around them.
Here's what's worth looking up for in August 2026 — the Moon's dark window, the meteor showers and eclipses to plan around, and the constellations and Milky Way on show.
These are the month's globally-true highlights. For the exact times the sky goes dark, the Moon rises and sets, and each target is best placed from your own spot, let Stella compute it for your location.
The Moon: your dark-sky window
The Moon is the biggest lever on what's visible. Your darkest skies fall around the New Moon on Aug 12 — plan Milky Way and deep-sky nights for the week around it. The Full Moon on Aug 28 floods the sky, so switch then to the Moon itself, the planets, and double stars.
- Last Quarter — Aug 6
- New Moon — Aug 12
- First Quarter — Aug 20
- Full Moon — Aug 28
Meteor showers
One reliable shower peaks in August. Get to the darkest site you can, lie back to take in as much sky as possible, and give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt.
- Perseids — peaks around Aug 12 (up to ~100/hr). The summer classic — bright, fast, and reliable.
Eclipses this month
Total Solar Eclipse on Aug 12. What you'll see depends on where you are — check the coverage from your location before planning around it.
Partial Lunar Eclipse on Aug 28. What you'll see depends on where you are — check the coverage from your location before planning around it.
What else is up
The Summer Triangle rides overhead and the Milky Way is at its richest from a dark site.
The Milky Way is at its best — from a Bortle 4 or darker site, away from town glow, its band shows real structure to the naked eye (and is far more dramatic from the southern hemisphere).
Which planets are well placed, and exactly when each target rises and sets, depends on your date and location — Stella computes that for your sky so you're not trusting a one-size-fits-all chart.
Stop guessing what tonight holds — Stella reads your sky and tells you when to go.
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