August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse and Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

August 12 eclipse Perseid meteor shower totality path new moon darkness astronomy festivals

A total solar eclipse will sweep across parts of eastern Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, Portugal, and northern Russia on August 12, 2026, with NASA broadcasting the event live and conducting solar‑corona research from a high‑altitude aircraft. Partial phases will be visible across much of Europe, the United States and Canada.

The same night, a new moon will leave the sky completely dark, creating ideal conditions for the Perseid meteor shower peak. Astronomers expect up to 100 meteors per hour at dark sites, with rates of 30‑50 per hour typical in rural areas. Observers from the United States, Europe, India, Canada, Algeria and other regions are being advised to use proper eye protection for the eclipse and to seek dark, moonless locations for meteor watching.

Public events are planned to celebrate the double phenomenon, including a night‑of‑stars program at the Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, a Perseid Festival at Domaine Saint‑Bernard in Mont‑Tremblant, Canada, and community stargazing hikes organized by a Serbian mountain club. NASA’s live coverage and scientific experiments, together with widespread amateur observing, make August 12 one of the most anticipated astronomical nights of the year.

Entities: American Meteor Society · Cité de l’espace · Cité de l’espace (Toulouse) · Comet Swift‑Tuttle · Comet Swift‑Tuttle · Domaine Saint‑Bernard (Mont‑Tremblant) · Gilles Dawidowicz · NASA · Perseid meteor shower · Perseid meteor shower · Société astronomique de France · Total solar eclipse

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[DISPUTED] The new moon on 12 August makes the night sky completely dark, enhancing the Perseid display. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432)
[○ 1 SOURCE] In very dark locations up to 100 Perseid meteors per hour can be observed; typical rural sites see 30‑50 per hour. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Much of Europe and North America will see a partial eclipse on the same day, with coverage ranging from a few percent to over 30 percent in parts of Alaska. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432)
[● 3 SOURCES] The Perseid meteor shower will peak during the night of 12–13 August 2026. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432, d279e620-497f-4c77-a737-401987a3a514, 4efd7875-3b0c-4a27-9542-c0cb72fdb52c)
[● 2 SOURCES] A total solar eclipse will occur on 12 August 2026 across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, Portugal, northern Russia and the Atlantic Ocean. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432, 4efd7875-3b0c-4a27-9542-c0cb72fdb52c)
[○ 1 SOURCE] NASA advises using ISO‑12312‑2 certified eclipse glasses or other approved filters for any solar viewing, even partial eclipses. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432)
[● 2 SOURCES] The combination of a total solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower on the same night is described as a rare double celestial feature. (fe8eb321-fd1e-483b-89e2-3a01feadb432, 8ec0b25e-04e5-494f-9383-15fa016bfd9e)