August 2026

Hello and welcome to UT Skywatch!

The moon phases for this month are last quarter on the 5^th, new on the 12^th, first quarter on the 19^th and full on the 28^th.

Everyone looks forward to the big meteor shower of the year, The Perseids, and this year is certainly no exception to that rule. The moon will be cooperating as it will be new on the 12^th, so no bright shining object in the sky all night long to interfere with viewing. Your best chance for seeing the most meteors is to seek out a dark sky location away from city lights. Some nearby state parks would be a good choice. Lay on the ground, feet pointed south, and be patient. They don’t all come at once. Best hours for observing are predawn and earlier; say anywhere from 3:30-4:00 a.m. until dawn. If this turns out to be a good shower, you could see as many as 100 per hour. Remember, if you don’t look, you won’t see a single one.

This is a busy month for celestial events. As if the Perseids weren’t enough, we eagerly await a partial lunar eclipse on the 27^th-28^th. Though not total, this one is close at about 96 percent coverage and will begin at 9:23 a.m. on the 27^th. Maximum coverage will occur at 12:12 a.m. on the 28^th and the whole show is over at 3:01 a.m. on the 28^th. Weather permitting it should be a nice event. As usual, my mantra regarding these events is, if you don’t look, you most certainly won’t see anything.

You may have heard some chatter on the internet about a planetary alignment of Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune in the sky on the morning of the 12^th.  Mercury and Jupiter will be a challenge due to their proximity to the sun just before sunrise. Saturn and Mars will certainly be the easiest to see since they are quite a bit higher in the sky. Uranus and Neptune are too faint to be seen naked eye in the light-filled skies of Knoxville. Your best bet to see six planets is to be in a somewhat darker sky and equipped with at least a small telescope or some good binoculars.

—Paul Lewis, Astronomy Outreach Director