science
July 2026 Night Sky Features Venus, Buck Moon and Perseid Meteors
July 2026 offers several stargazing opportunities including Venus near Regulus after sunset, the full Buck Moon, and the start of the Perseid meteor shower. A dark-sky window after July 7 supports Milky Way viewing from rural sites.
ForbesAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
July 2026 includes multiple visible celestial events for skywatchers. Venus will appear close to Regulus in the western sky after sunset, separated by about one degree. A waning crescent moon will be visible near Mars, Aldebaran and the Pleiades before dawn.
The last-quarter moon rises around midnight on July 7, creating a period of darker evening skies that continues through the new moon on July 14. During this window, the Milky Way can be seen from dark rural locations as a band rising from Sagittarius and Scorpius.
m. m. EDT for the half-sun alignment.
The Perseid meteor shower begins on July 17 and runs until August 24, with its peak expected on August 12-13 under dark skies. The Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids peak overnight on July 30-31, though moonlight from the waning Buck Moon will reduce visibility of fainter meteors.
m. EDT, with the best viewing at moonrise that evening in the southeast. August 2026 will include Mercury at greatest elongation west on August 2, a total solar eclipse visible from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain on August 12, and a full Sturgeon Moon with a partial lunar eclipse on August 27.
