What’s Up in the Sky in August?
This month, the night skies in the Northern Hemisphere are starting to darken a bit after reaching their brightest point in July, while long dark nights in the Southern Hemisphere create good windows for stargazing.
Wherever you are on the planet, there is a lot to see in the August sky, with a meteor shower, Mercury, and planetary close encounters among the highlights.
The Northern and Southern Hemispheres| Date | Event* | What to See |
|---|---|---|
| August 12-13 | Perseid meteor shower peak | Around 60-100 meteors an hour will streak across the sky at the peak of the Perseids. |
| August 12 | Venus-Jupiter conjunction | Venus and Jupiter will appear near each other in the sky, forming a close approach. |
| August 19 | Mercury greatest elongation west | Mercury arrives at its furthest point from the Sun in our sky. |
| August 21 | Moon-Mercury conjunction | Just before sunrise, see the thinnest sliver of the Crescent Moon in a close approach with Mecury. (Venus and Jupiter are nearby too) |
| August 23 | Black Moon | The third New Moon in a season of four occurs about once every 33 months. |
*Naked-eye events. Night Sky Map links are from New York City, USA.
August Stargazing: Perseid Meteor Shower
In general, the best time to try to see the Perseids in the Northern Hemisphere is just before dawn, but some shooting stars are visible from after sunset.
As you search the skies, keep in mind that even though the shower seems to emerge from the direction of the constellation Perseus, visible shooting stars can appear in any part of the night sky.
The constellation Perseus was named after the monster-slaying hero of Greek mythology. But the meteor shower itself has aquired multiple names over the years. It is also known as the celestial “tears of St. Lawrence” because the peak of the shower occurs around the date of the Catholic holy man’s martyrdom: August 10.
In 2025, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower coincides closely with the Full Moon, meaning the moonlight will wash out fainter meteors. While it's still possible to catch some of the brighter ones during the peak, it's also worth heading outside in the days before and after—from late July and also around mid-August—when the Moon will be less of a distraction.
Renate Mauland-Hus, Astrophysicist & Data Analyst
mungfali.galihkartiwa07.workers.devOverall, the Perseid meteor shower is active from around July 17 to August 24.
What is a meteor shower?
Close Encounters of a Planetary Kind
August features several celestial close encounters, including: on the 12th, Venus and Jupiter are in conjunction, and August 21 sees the Moon and Mercury approach each other in the morning sky.
During the August 12 coming together of Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets in our sky will close to less than one degree of seperation. Roughly speaking, a distance of 1° in the sky is the width of your little finger held at arm’s length.
What is a conjunction?For the Moon and Mercury, a clear early morning sky on August 21 will display the two bodies near each other, although not close enough to fit in a telescope’s range of view.
Around this time, Mercury is a bit easier to spot than usual. Why? Because on August 19 it reaches greatest elongation west—its farthest distance from the Sun in the morning sky.
What is a greatest elongation?The (Invisible) Black New Moon
On August 23, the Moon moves into a phase that is visually hidden from us on Earth: a New Moon. This New Moon is special because it is also a Black Moon.
There are two main types of Black Moon: Monthly and Seasonal. The August 23 event is a Seasonal Black Moon.
A Monthly Black Moon is the second New Moon in a single calendar month with two New Moons. This is the most common Black Moon, occurring about once every 29 months.
A Seasonal Black Moon, on the other hand, is the third New Moon in a season of four New Moons. This Black Moon is rarer, and occurs about once every 33 months.
But don’t bother scouting for a glimpse of either type of Black Moon—both are invisible to us because our satellite’s illuminated side faces away from Earth in this phase.
August 2025 hosts rare Black Moon Sunrise and sunset times for your location