08/12/2026
MARK YOUR CALENDARS — August 12 is shaping up to be one of 2026’s biggest skywatching days.
The action begins before sunrise, when **six planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune — will be spread across the pre-dawn sky**. Don’t expect six bright dots in a perfect line. Mars and Saturn will be the easiest to spot, while Mercury and Jupiter will sit low in the brightening twilight. Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a telescope.
Later that day comes the **August 12 total solar eclipse**. The path of totality crosses northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic, northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal. Much of Europe, most of Canada, northwestern Africa and parts of the northern United States will instead see a partial eclipse.
Wherever the Sun is only partially covered, proper eclipse glasses or another safe solar-viewing method are essential. Regular sunglasses are not safe.
Then, after darkness falls, the **Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak overnight from August 12 into August 13** — and the timing is especially favorable because August 12 is also a New Moon. With essentially no moonlight interfering, observers under dark skies will have some of the best Perseid viewing conditions possible.
The Perseids have a theoretical peak rate of around **100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions**, although most people will see fewer. Typical rural observing rates are often closer to a few dozen per hour. For the best chance, get away from city lights, give your eyes at least 20–30 minutes to adjust, and keep watching into the hours after midnight.
So the schedule is simple:
**Before dawn:** six planets
**During the day:** solar eclipse
**After dark into August 13:** Perseid meteor shower
Three impressive skywatching opportunities packed into the same date — with a New Moon making the meteor viewing even better.
Clear skies!
