August 2026 smart telescope observing guide
27 Jul. 2026
As summer slowly draws to a close, August brings longer nights and more time under the stars. It’s the perfect opportunity to enjoy the last views of the iconic deep-sky objects surrounding the Milky Way’s core before they gradually give way to the treasures of the autumn sky. Dominating the heavens, the remarkably rich constellation of Cygnus alone offers enough nebulae to fill countless nights of exploration.
This month also brings one of the year’s most anticipated celestial events: a solar eclipse. While the path of totality crosses only a small part of Europe, millions of observers across the continent will have the opportunity to witness at least a partial eclipse.
August 2026 astronomical calendar
It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.
Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.
- August 6 — Last Quarter Moon
- August 7 — The Pleiades return to the morning sky
- August 12 — New Moon. Total solar eclipse visible from western Iceland and northern Spain; partial eclipse visible across most of Europe.
- August 13 — Peak of the Perseid meteor shower (2:00 to 4:00 GMT). Expected zenithal hourly rate of up to 150 meteors.
- August 20 — First Quarter Moon
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August 28 — Full Moon. Partial lunar eclipse visible from southwestern Europe, western Africa, and the Americas.
August 12 solar eclipse
- Visit our dedicated website to learn everything about the eclipse.
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Read our tutorial on how to observe the eclipse with Vespera and Stellina.
Celestial Scene of the Month
Northern sky
The Veil Nebula
The Veil Nebula (a.k.a. the Cygnus Loop) is the most spectacular supernova remnant in the northern sky, a vast, intricate web of shocked filaments, the remnant of a stellar explosion that occurred approximately 10,000–20,000 years ago in our galactic neighborhood.
At approximately 2,500 light-years, the Cygnus Loop physically spans 50–65 light-years in diameter. Multiple bright optically-visible sections are grouped within the same 3° circle: the Western Veil (NGC 6960, also called the Witch's Broom), the Eastern Veil (NGC 6992, NGC 6995, IC 1340), and Pickering's Triangle at the northern rim. Fainter components (NGC 6974, NGC 6979) complete the loop structure between these brighter arcs.
A dual-band filter is recommended. The leading OIII edge and the trailing Hα emission create the characteristic red/blue color split.
Southern sky
Alpha Arae region
Two objects in southern Ara, located within the same declination band, share a similar field of view. IC 4651, an old and richly populated open cluster, and Caldwell 81, a globular cluster, lie about 1.5° apart and can be captured together in a single frame. The result is an unusual pairing of an open cluster and a globular cluster set against the dense starfield of the southern Milky Way.
Alpha Arae, the constellation’s brightest star at magnitude 2.8, completes the scene.
This scene can easily be captured without any filter, even from urban skies.
"Plan my Night" of the month
Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best results.
Northern sky
use the dual band filter for this plan.
Southern sky
Do not use the dual band filter for this plan (mix of target type).
Around the full moon
During the few nights surrounding the full moon, it's best to focus on star clusters, which are less affected by the Moon’s light pollution.
Northern sky
Messier 9 & Barnard 64
Messier 9 is a compact globular cluster in southern Ophiuchus, located at approximately 25,800 light-years, placing it close to the Galactic center.
It lies right next to the dark nebula Barnard 64. This is what makes it interesting to capture with a smart telescope, along with the dense stellar background. Although long integration times are often not necessary for globular clusters, in this case it helps bring out the background stars and enhance the contrast with the dark nebula.
Mag.: 7.8, angular size: 7'
Southern sky
Messier 22
Messier 22 is the brightest globular cluster in Sagittarius and one of the finest in the sky. Located at approximately 10,600 light-years, M22 is one of the nearest globular clusters to Earth, orbiting in the inner Galactic halo.
Mag.: 5.1, angular size: 35'
Challenging Target of the Month
Northern sky
The Great Lacerta Nebula (Sh2-126)
Sh2-126 is one of the least-observed emission nebulae in the northern sky. At approximately 1 200 light-years in Lacerta constellation. Its large angular size and extremely low surface brightness make it a genuine challenge. A dual-band narrowband filter is essential. The full nebula requires mosaic mode.
The Great Lacerta Nebula is not included in Singularity catalog so you need to create a manual target with the following coordinates:
Right ascension (RA): 22h 34m
Declination (DEC): 39° 18'
Southern sky
Dark Wolf Nebula (Barnard 228)
Barnard 228 is the main dark cloud within the Lupus Molecular Cloud Complex. The full Lupus complex spans approximately 8° in its longest dimension.
It reveals the intricate texture of a dark nebula: delicate dust filaments, subtle variations in opacity, and dark lanes silhouetted against the rich stellar background of the inner Milky Way.
This target requires exceptional conditions: very dark skies, excellent transparency, and long total integration.
The Dark Wolf Nebula is not included in the Singularity catalog, so you need to create a manual target with the following coordinates:
Right ascension (RA): 15h 45m
Declination (DEC): -34° 25'
Magnitude and angular size reminder
