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Watch for partial lunar eclipse, Perseid meteor shower in August
Ken Kopczynski
The Sky Guy
July 31, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET
There will be a partial lunar eclipse on the evening of Aug. 27 into the early morning hours of Aug. 28. Lunar eclipses happen when the Moon moves into the shadow of the Earth. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is tilted 5 degrees (equivalent to 10 full Moons) to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, so eclipses are somewhat rare
Sometimes the Moon doesn’t go all the way into the shadow, and you get a partial eclipse. This is what happens on the 27th – 28th. The Moon will be 96.2 percent covered. It will still be a special event to watch. The Moon begins to enter the shadow at 10:30 p.m., reaches maximum coverage the 12:13 a.m., and ends at 1:52 a.m
Morning sky: Mars and Saturn are visible this month in the east at dawn. Mars rises around 4 a.m. Saturn rises at 1 a.m. in early August and 11 p.m. at the end of the month. Mercury is very low in the east and will enter the glare of the Sun mid-month. Jupiter enters low in the eastern sky. Watch the Moon pass a couple of bright stars, see below for dates
Evening sky: Venus sets around 10 p.m. in early August and by 9 pm at the end of the month. Watch the Moon pass a couple of bright stars, see below for dates
August skies
1st: Tallahassee Astronomical Society’s free planetarium show, “August Skies over Tallahassee,” at the Fogg Planetarium at the Challenger Learning Center (not recommended for children under 5). Doors close at 10 a.m. sharp
7th: Moon near Pleiades star cluster before sunrise in the eastern morning sky
6th: Last quarter Moon
9th: Crescent Moon near Mars in the eastern morning sky
10th: Moon forms triangle with bright stars Castor and Pollux in the eastern morning sky
11th: Thin crescent Moon near Mercury in the eastern morning sky. You need a clear view of the horizon and optical aid
12th: New Moon
12th – 13th: Perseid meteor shower peaks. Moon will not interfere
15th: Mercury is very close to Jupiter low in the eastern sky before sunrise. Optical aid will help
15th: Moon below Venus in the western sky after sunset
18th: Tallahassee Astronomical Society monthly meeting at the Challenger Learning Center, 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Public is welcome
20th: First quarter Moon
21st: Come view the Quarter Moon and tour the night sky with the Tallahassee Astronomical Society. This free event is held monthly at Cascades Park in downtown Tallahassee. See the Moon, any planets that are up, and such other heavenly wonders as may be in the sky. Quarter Moon viewing is the perfect time to bring your family, home school group, or other small group to see the sky, ask questions about astronomy, and see some telescopes in action! 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. weather permitting
20th: Moon near bright star Antares, “Rival of Mars” after sunset in the west
27th – 28th: Partial Lunar eclipse (see above for details)
28th: Full Moon
Check out TAS’s events calendar at tallystargazers.org
Ken Kopczynski is a former president of the Tallahassee Astronomical Society, a local group of amateur astronomers
