Europe’s total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 will see totality in Spain and Iceland and a deep partial eclipse in the rest of the continent, as Perseid meteors peak.
Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere).
In 1,000 days, on April 13, 2029, the near-Earth asteroid Apophis will make one of the closest flybys of a large asteroid ever predicted with certainty.
On Friday, July 17, 2026, a 17%-lit waxing crescent moon will shine just to the left of Venus in the west after dark.
The Perseid meteor shower begins today, with a moonless August peak expected to produce up to 100 meteors an hour under ideal dark-sky conditions.
A new moon on July 14 starts the countdown to the August 12 total solar eclipse, while the first waxing crescent and the opening of the Perseid meteor shower follow.
North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead, which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere. This week, the Perseids begin.
July 11 and 12 will see sunset alignments in Manhattan, New York City, that will have thousands in the streets looking due west to see the sun set between skyscrapers.
Americans will miss totality on Aug. 12, but a partial eclipse in the northeastern U.S. and Alaska, plus the peak of Perseid meteors, make it a big day for skywatchers.
Jupiter will set about 45 minutes after the sun this week as it sinks from view, moving toward conjunction with the sun, as seen from Earth, on July 29.