Topline<\/p>\n
July closes with two of the celestial highlights of summer<\/a> \u2014 the rise of the full Buck Moon amid \u201cshooting stars\u201d from the Delta Aquariiid meteor shower. The latter peaks under less-than-ideal conditions, but with the Alpha Capricornids and the Perseids all ongoing, it\u2019s definitely meteor season. Early risers get a new planetary target in the shape of tiny Mercury. For North America and mid-northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, here\u2019s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week, July 27-August 2, 2026.<\/p>\n July\u2019s Buck Moon will turn full at 10:37 a.m. EDT, with the best views at moonrise where you are shortly after sunset across North America and Europe. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon \/ AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n AFP via Getty ImagesTimeline<\/p>\n Wednesday, July 29July\u2019s Buck Moon will turn full at 10:37 a.m. EDT, with the best views at moonrise where you are<\/a> shortly after sunset across North America and Europe. Tonight, Comet 10P\/Tempel 2 will be visible close to the M30 globular cluster, though the best views will be had from the Southern Hemisphere. <\/p>\n Friday, July 31-Saturday, August 1The Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers reach their peak activity overnight, boasting about 25 and 5 meteors per hour, respectively, according to the American Meteor Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sunday, August 2Mercury reaches its greatest elongation west, becoming visible briefly before sunrise.<\/p>\n WHEN TO SEE THE FULL \u2018BUCK MOON\u2019 RISE<\/p>\n If you have an unobstructed view to the southeast, Wednesday is when to look for one of the wonders of nature \u2014 a deep orange full moon appearing on the horizon. A reference to the month when male deer (bucks) begin to grow antlers, the Buck Moon rises exactly two weeks before a total solar eclipse<\/a> on Aug. 12, one of the biggest sky events of the year. It will coincide with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which could see about 50 \u201cshooting stars\u201d per hour in dark skies. Two weeks later, on Aug. 27, the full Sturgeon Moon will rise, with 96% of its surface drifting into Earth\u2019s umbra overnight, causing much of the lunar surface to turn a reddish color during a very deep partial lunar eclipse.<\/p>\n HOW TO WATCH METEORS IN MOONLIGHT<\/p>\n Meteor observing is often framed as a numbers game, but it doesn\u2019t have to be. Even under the bright moonlight produced by the recently full Buck Moon, brighter meteors will still appear \u2014 just face away from the moon and, if possible, keep out behind a building or tree. Active from July 12 to Aug. 23, and peaking overnight on July 30-31, the Delta Aquariids are caused by a comet called 96P\/Machholz, which leaves a cloud of particles in the inner solar system that Earth\u2019s orbital path passes through. Delta Aquariids can often be faint, but Alpha Capricornids, despite only producing about 5 meteors per hour, can often be bright fireballs.<\/p>\n A map showing the path of totality on Aug. 12, 2026. <\/p>\n Michael Zeiler\/EclipseAtlas.comWhat\u2019s Next In The Night Sky<\/p>\n On Aug. 12, exactly two weeks after the rise of the full Buck Moon, a new moon will slip perfectly across the sun to cause a total solar eclipse. The path of totality \u2014 the moon\u2019s dark shadow \u2014 will cross eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, from where the sun\u2019s corona will become visible, if skies are clear, for up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. Across Western Europe and North America, a partial eclipse will be visible. Solar eclipse glasses will be essential throughout the partial eclipse.<\/p>\n The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further readingForbes7 Spectacular Stargazing Events To See This SummerBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes400 Days To The \u2018Eclipse Of The Century\u2019 \u2014 Why You Need To Make A PlanBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes50 Days To A Total Solar Eclipse \u2014 Where And When To Experience ItBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline July closes with two of the celestial highlights of summer \u2014 the rise of the full Buck…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":961941,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[24],"tags":[322207,386773,386774,386776,386777,386775,159,783,369998,67,132,68,386778,290730],"class_list":["post-961940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-astronomy-this-week","tag-buck-moon-july-2026","tag-delta-aquariids-2026-peak","tag-meteor-shower-july","tag-milky-way-summer-sky","tag-night-sky-this-week-july-august-2026","tag-science","tag-space","tag-stargazing-july-2026","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-visible-meteors-july","tag-when-is-full-moon"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116990529360433432","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=961940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/961941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=961940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=961940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=961940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}