This month we’ve got three big celestial events to cover: eclipses of the Sun and Moon, and especially good prospects for the Perseid meteor shower. Plus we’ll track down a few planets, and gaze at the center of our galaxy. So load up on the bug juice, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour. The post August Podcast: Three Big Events! appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreAPOD: 2026 August 1 – Buck Moon and Belt of Venus
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 1 – Buck… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Buck Moon and Belt of Venus Explanation: The Buck Moon is a traditional name for the full moon of July. In this colorful Adriatic sea and skyscape captured on July 28 from Krk Island along the coast…
Read MoreSpaceX’s Starship seen in space by next-gen Starlink satellite (video)
We just got an amazing new view of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, thanks to one of the company’s next-gen Starlink satellites. Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, launched on its 13th test flight from South Texas last Friday (July 24). The suborbital jaunt was similar in many respects to past Starship test missions, with one big exception: This time, the vehicle deployed a batch of functional, next-gen Starlink internet satellites into space. Six of those “Starlink V3” spacecraft carried cameras, so that SpaceX could get good views of…
Read MoreWhat’s Up: August 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Meteor Showers Eclipses Daily Moon Guide More Tips & Guides Skywatching FAQ Night Sky Network A solar eclipse, the Perseids, bright Venus after sunset, and a deep partial lunar eclipse highlight August’s skywatching. Skywatching Highlights Aug. 5: Last Quarter Moon Aug. 12: Total solar eclipse across northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain, and part of Portugal; partial eclipse in parts of the U.S.; New Moon Aug. 12-13: Perseid meteor shower peak under dark skies Aug. 14-16: Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation and shines low in…
Read MoreHow do supermassive black holes grow? AI finds 7 spacetime-warping ‘quasars’ that could help solve the mystery
Some of the brightest objects in the universe may also hold the key to understanding how galaxies evolve — especially when gravity transforms them into giant cosmic magnifying glasses. Using artificial intelligence to search through data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), astronomers have identified seven promising candidates for quasars acting as gravitational lenses — natural cosmic magnifying glasses created when a massive object’s gravity bends and magnifies light from a more distant object. These unusual systems could help researchers better understand how actively growing supermassive black holes evolve,…
Read MoreNASA to Host Florida Event Celebrating American Air, Space Leadership
An American flag is seen in front of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 17, 2026, ahead of the historic Artemis II test flight. NASA will host a news conference at NASA Kennedy on Friday, Aug. 14, to highlight American leadership in space and aviation. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky NASA will hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. EDT, Friday, Aug. 14, live from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and media and digital creators are invited to…
Read More‘The End of Oak Street: Could JJ Abrams’ new ‘Twilight Zone meets Jurassic Park’ movie be the sleeper hit of the summer?
The End of Oak Street | Official Trailer – YouTube Watch On The summer is slowly waning as we soon turn the calendar page to August and back to school supplies are already cluttering store shelves, but Hollywood still has a pocketful of of possible surprises hitting the silver screen. My prediction for “Masters of the Universe” as a summertime sleeper hit did not come to pass, though it was a totally enjoyable nostalgic romp, if not about 20 minutes or so too long. Recent teasers and trailers starring Ewan…
Read MoreNASA’s Newest Wind Tunnel Opens at NASA Langley
NASA opened its newest wind tunnel, the Flight Dynamics Research Facility at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, on Friday, providing a critical resource for the agency and its partners to test the safety and performance of future generations of aircraft, rockets, and space exploration vehicles.
Read MoreAstronomers Spot Weird, Three-Lobed Asteroid with a Moon
Asteroid 44 Nysa has the weirdest shape yet seen for an asteroid, and that’s saying something. The post Astronomers Spot Weird, Three-Lobed Asteroid with a Moon appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreThis Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 31 – August 9
Once the bright Moon is out of the evening sky by Monday or so, use Altair high in the southeast to find little Delphinus and Sagitta roughly a fist at arm’s length from it. The post This Week's Sky at a Glance, July 31 – August 9 appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
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