August 2026 smart telescope observing guide

As summer slowly draws to a close, August brings longer nights and more time under the stars. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the last views of the iconic deep-sky objects surrounding the Milky Way’s core before they gradually give way to the treasures of the autumn sky. Dominating the heavens, the remarkably rich constellation of Cygnus alone offers enough nebulae to fill countless nights of exploration.

This month also brings one of the year’s most anticipated celestial events: a solar eclipse. While the path of totality crosses only a small part of Europe, millions of observers across the continent will have the opportunity to witness at least a partial eclipse.

August 2026 astronomical calendar

It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects. 

Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.

August 6 — Last Quarter Moon

August 7 — The Pleiades return to the morning sky

August 12 — New Moon. Total solar eclipse visible from western Iceland and northern Spain; partial eclipse visible across most of Europe.

August 13 — Peak of the Perseid meteor shower (2:00 to 4:00 GMT). Expected zenithal hourly rate of up to 150 meteors.

August 20 — First Quarter Moon

August 28 — Full Moon. Partial lunar eclipse visible from southwestern Europe, western Africa, and the Americas.

August 12 solar eclipse

Visit our dedicated website to learn everything about the eclipse.

Read our tutorial on how to observe the eclipse with Vespera and Stellina.

Celestial Scene of the Month

Northern sky

The Veil Nebula

The Veil Nebula (a.k.a. the Cygnus Loop) is the most spectacular supernova remnant in the northern sky, a vast, intricate web of shocked filaments, the remnant of a stellar explosion that occurred approximately 10,000–20,000 years ago in our galactic neighborhood. At approximately 2,500 light-years, the Cygnus Loop physically spans 50–65 light-years in diameter. Multiple bright optically-visible sections are grouped within the same 3° circle: the Western Veil (NGC 6960, also called the Witch's Broom), the Eastern Veil (NGC 6992, NGC 6995, IC 1340), and Pickering's Triangle at the northern rim. Fainter components (NGC 6974, NGC 6979) complete the loop structure between these brighter arcs. A dual-band filter is recommended. The leading OIII edge and the trailing Hα emission create the…