this month is brimming with unique experiences!

wonder highlights:

august 2 Comet 10P/Tempel
august 6 LAST QUARTER MOON 
august 12 NEW MOON 
august 12 Planetary Alignment
august 12 Total Solar Eclipse
august 12-13 Perseids Meteor Shower
august 18 κ-Cygnid meteor shower
august 20 FIRST QUARTER MOON 
august 28 Partial Lunar Eclipse
august 28 FULL MOON 
august 30 NASA Roman space telescope launch 

Comet 10P/Tempel

On July 4, 1873, Wilhelm Tempel discovered a comet, known to us as 10P/Tempel.
This same comet will be close to the sun on August 2nd, more precisely at a distance of 1.42 AU. It will be visible in the skies over Portugal between 01:32 and 03:54! It will rise on the southern horizon at an altitude of 21°. Its highest point in the sky will be at 02:43, reaching 24° above that same horizon.

While this comet is not bright enough to be seen with the naked eye,it could potentially be spotted through a pair of binoculars.

total solar eclipse

On August 12th, it will be an extremely important day for all astronomy lovers!
(read post…)

Planetary alignment

Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune will put on an incredible display in alignment!
(post coming soon…)

perseids meteor shower

The Perseids are among the most popular meteor showers, known for their frequency and brightness.
(post coming soon…)

κ-Cygnid meteor shower

The k-Cygni meteor shower will be visible between August 3rd and 25th. However, the peak of its intensity will be on August 18th!
For those lucky enough to observe from Portugal, the phenomenon will be active throughout the entire night. The best opportunity to witness the peak will be around 11:00 PM that evening, when the radiant point reaches its highest point in the sky, at an altitude of 72 degrees above the horizon. It is estimated that you may see up to two meteors per hour.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

On August 28th, you will be able to see a captivating spectacle: a partial lunar eclipse* with a magnitude of 0.930.
The Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow between 2:25 AM and 8:02 AM.
If you are in Portugal, you can observe this phenomenon in the southwestern sky. At its peak, the Moon will be at 18° above the horizon. The maximum point of the eclipse (the most dramatic moment) will occur at 5:14 AM, when approximately 93% of the lunar surface will be enveloped in shadow.
*What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth positions itself between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow over the lunar surface.

NASA Roman space telescope launch

Roman is set to launch August 30, 2026 at 12:20 (Portugal time zone) on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
(post coming soon…)