The most recent fireball that lit up the night sky across several states in the U.S. was captured by one of NASA’s meteor cameras on Sunday.Aug. 12 is going to be a busy one for space enthusiasts as a solar eclipse, meteor shower, planet parade and new moon are all occurring on the same night.In general, August is a great time for skywatching, with multiple events filling the month, and warmer night temperatures for a comfortable environment. AUGUST SKYWATCHING GUIDE: FROM A PLANETARY PARADE AND ECLIPSES TO A METEOR SHOWERSee which celestial events are taking center stage on Wednesday: Aug. 11-12: 6-planet parade A six-planet parade begins in the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday, and continues for several nights afterward, according to The Planetary Society.This planet parade will include Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune. NASA’S MISSION TO SAVE THE SWIFT TELESCOPE EXPERIENCES A MAJOR SETBACKPlanet parade(FOX Weather) For those wanting to see this six-planet spectacle, you’ll likely only be able to see four planets without any aid: Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn. To catch Uranus, binoculars will be necessary and to witness Neptune, you’ll need a telescope. Aug. 12: New moon risesA rising new moon will make it easier to see the planets in the night sky. MURAN, SLOVAKIA – JULY 9: A view on the sky with stars, Milky Way and space object at the Muranska Planina Dark Sky Park observed during the Stars Above Muran event, organized by the Regional Tourism Organization Gemer, in Muran, Slovakia, on July 9, 2026. (Zuzana Gogova/Anadolu / Getty Images)The next new moon rises at 1:37 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. Another exciting celestial event is happening around the same time the new moon rises. Aug. 12: Solar eclipseA total solar eclipse will cross northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain, with a small corner of Portugal inside the path of totality, according to NASA. In the U.S., a partial solar eclipse may be visible from Alaska to North Carolina. SEE IT: NASA’S CURIOSITY ROVER CAPTURES STUNNING IMAGES OF HONEYCOMB-LIKE TEXTURES WHILE EXPLORING MARS Aug. 12, 2026, solar eclipse viewing map (FOX Weather)Don’t forget your eye protection if you’re in the path of the eclipse, both partial and total. Observers can use solar viewing glasses (often called “eclipse glasses”), handheld solar viewers, or other safe solar filters that block out most of the Sun’s light and prevent eye damage, said NASA.For a full list of times to see the eclipse from different places in the world, visit NASA’s website here. Aug. 12-13: Perseid meteor showerIn the overnight hours Wednesday into Thursday, the Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak. Originating from debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids can produce up to 100 meteors per hour, making them one of the year’s most spectacular meteor showers.NASA TELESCOPE UNCOVERS HIDDEN PLANET USING REVOLUTIONARY METHOD AFTER YEARS OF COSMIC HIDE-AND-SEEK Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky above Joshua Tree National Park during the Perseids Meteor shower in Joshua Tree, California, early on August 12, 2024 (Apu GOMES / AFP / Getty Images)This year, catching some of the meteors will be a lot easier with a new moon, as the sky will be dark. NASA said to view this meteor shower, look toward the northeast once it’s fully dark and watch for the constellation Perseus to clear the horizon. “This is where the meteors originate, but let your eyes wander, because they can flash across any part of the sky,” NASA said. HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHERPerseid meteor shower viewing forecast(FOX Weather) Find a dark spot as the stars climb higher in the night sky and let your eyes adjust for about 30 minutes for the best chances of seeing the meteors.
