4 major celestial events to dominate the night sky next week
See which celestial events are taking center stage on Wednesday:
FILE: Meteor captured on NASA camera
The most recent fireball that lit up the night sky across several states in the U.S. was captured by one of NASA’s meteor cameras on Sunday.
Aug. 12 is going to be a busy one for space enthusiasts as a solar eclipse, meteor shower, planet parade and new moon are all occurring on the same night.
In general, August is a great time for skywatching, with multiple events filling the month, and warmer night temperatures for a comfortable environment.
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See which celestial events are taking center stage on Wednesday:
Aug. 11-12: 6-planet parade
A six-planet parade begins in the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday, and continues for several nights afterward, according to The Planetary Society.
This planet parade will include Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune.
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A planetary alignment, or a "planet parade" see six planets: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn. Solar System planets. High resolution images. This image elements furnished by NASA. ______ Url(s): https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/?IDNumber=PIA23344 https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/one-giant-sunspot-6-substantial-flares https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13840 https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia01492 https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/17549/saturn-mosaic-ian-regan https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22949 Software: Adobe Photoshop CC 2023. Knoll light factory. Adobe After Effects CC 2021. (buradaki / Getty Images)
For those wanting to see this six-planet spectacle, you'll likely only be able to see four planets without any aid: Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn.
To catch Uranus, binoculars will be necessary and to witness Neptune, you'll need a telescope.
Aug. 12: New moon rises
A rising new moon will make it easier to see the planets in the night sky.
MURAN, SLOVAKIA - JULY 9: A view on the sky with stars, Milky Way and space object at the Muranska Planina Dark Sky Park observed during the Stars Above Muran event, organized by the Regional Tourism Organization Gemer, in Muran, Slovakia, on July 9, 2026. (Zuzana Gogova/Anadolu / Getty Images)
The next new moon rises at 1:37 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday.
Another exciting celestial event is happening around the same time the new moon rises.
Aug. 12: Solar eclipse
A total solar eclipse will cross northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, with a small corner of Portugal inside the path of totality, according to NASA.
In the U.S., a partial solar eclipse may be visible from Alaska to North Carolina.
A map showing viewing areas of the August 2026 total solar eclipse. (NASA/JPL-Caltech / NASA)
Don't forget your eye protection if you're in the path of the eclipse, both partial and total. Observers can use solar viewing glasses (often called "eclipse glasses"), handheld solar viewers, or other safe solar filters that block out most of the Sun’s light and prevent eye damage, said NASA.
For a full list of times to see the eclipse from different places in the world, visit NASA's website here.
Aug. 12-13: Perseid meteor shower
In the overnight hours Wednesday into Thursday, the Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak.
Originating from debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids can produce up to 100 meteors per hour, making them one of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers.
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Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky above Joshua Tree National Park during the Perseids Meteor shower in Joshua Tree, California, early on August 12, 2024 (Apu GOMES / AFP / Getty Images)
This year, catching some of the meteors will be a lot easier with a new moon, as the sky will be dark.
NASA said to view this meteor shower, look toward the northeast once it's fully dark and watch for the constellation Perseus to clear the horizon.
"This is where the meteors originate, but let your eyes wander, because they can flash across any part of the sky," NASA said.
A view of the Perseid meteor shower over Lake Cubuk in Goynuk district of Bolu, Turkiye on August 13, 2024. (Photo by Isa Terli/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Find a dark spot as the stars climb higher in the night sky and let your eyes adjust for about 30 minutes for the best chances of seeing the meteors.