You should look up today. Aug. 12 has multiple celestial events
Wednesday, Aug. 12, is set to be a backyard astronomer's dream, with multiple celestial events lining up to produce the ultimate stargazing experience.
There will be a planetary alignment early in the morning, a solar eclipse in the afternoon, and a new moon at night as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
The Perseid meteor shower is considered the "best meteor shower of the year," according to NASA. It can produce between 50 and 100 meteors, also known as shooting stars, in one night. On Aug. 12, it will peak, producing the most shooting stars.
Since these celestial events also coincide with the new moon on Aug. 12, skies will be extra dark and the moon's light won't interfere as much.
Here's what to know.
Celestial events happening on Aug. 12
On Aug. 12, the following celestial events will occur, according to NASA and Star Walk:
- A planetary parade, also known as a planetary alignment, including six planets, will be visible in the hours before sunrise.
- A partial solar eclipse will be visible in U.S. states from Alaska to North Carolina beginning at around 11:34 a.m. ET, according to Time and Date. The maximum eclipse will occur at 1:46 p.m. ET. (Remember, you need special solar eclipse glasses to safely view this.)
- Perseid meteor shower peaks from the evening of Aug. 12 to the morning of Aug. 13.
- There will also be a new moon, which will make the night sky "ideally dark," per NASA.
The US will not see a total solar eclipse
The Aug. 12 total solar eclipse will only be visible from Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and parts of Portugal. Residents in some U.S. states will be able to see a partial eclipse using specialized eclipse glasses.
In the United States, the sun will look like a cookie with a small bite taken out of it, according to NASA.
What states will be able to see the partial solar eclipse?
The following states will be able to see a partial solar eclipse on Aug. 12, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting and National Eclipse, an organization that provides information on upcoming eclipses:
- Alaska
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
See list of eclipse times in cities across the US
The timing of the partial eclipse in the United States varies by city and state.
See a list from NASA below:
Contributing: Saleen Martin, USA TODAY
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.