Total solar eclipse will coincide with Perseid meteor peak on Aug. 12

NASA and other skywatching guides say Aug. 12, 2026 will bring two headline events in a single day: a total solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. The eclipse will cross parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, Spain and a small part of Portugal, while many other places in the Northern Hemisphere will see a partial eclipse. NASA also says the Perseids will peak on the night of Aug. 12-13. The overlap happens because Aug. 12 is also the date of the new moon, which darkens the sky for meteor watching later that night. ### Where will the solar eclipse actually be total? NASA says totality on Aug. 12 will sweep across Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic, northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal. Many other places will get only a partial eclipse, including much of Europe, most of Canada, northwestern Africa and parts of the northern United States stretching from Alaska to North Carolina. (science.nasa.gov) Timeanddate and NASA both provide location-based maps and timing tools for the event. Those tools matter because eclipse coverage varies sharply by city: one place may see totality, another may see only a partial bite taken out of the Sun. ### Does the United States get the main event? The United States does not sit in the path of totality for this eclipse, according to NASA. (science.nasa.gov) Parts of the northern U.S. are expected to see a partial solar eclipse instead. ScienceDaily, citing skywatching guidance for August, also said a partial eclipse will be visible from parts of the United States. (timeanddate.com) NASA’s eclipse page says local conditions and timing depend on where you are, so U.S. viewers need a city-specific map or calculator rather than a single national time. Timeanddate’s interactive map is one of the public tools that lets users check exact local circumstances. ### Why does the meteor shower peak on the same date? (science.nasa.gov) NASA says the Perseids have been active since early July and will continue through late August, but the peak is expected on the night of Aug. 12 into Aug. 13. The same new moon that enables the solar eclipse on Aug. 12 also removes moonlight from the overnight sky, which improves meteor viewing conditions. (timeanddate.com) ScienceDaily described that pairing as an unusually stacked skywatching date. Royal Observatory Greenwich, in separate August skywatching guidance, also says the Perseids will peak on Aug. 12-13 under almost perfectly dark skies. ### Can you watch both on the same day? Aug. 12 allows both events in sequence for people in the right places. (nasa.gov) The eclipse happens during daylight hours, while Perseid viewing is best after midnight and before dawn, when the shower’s radiant climbs higher in the sky, according to NASA’s Perseid guide. (sciencedaily.com) That means a viewer in a region with eclipse visibility could watch the Sun safely during the day and then look for meteors after dark. The exact combination depends on geography and weather, but the calendar alignment itself is confirmed by NASA’s August skywatching guide and eclipse pages. (nasa.gov) ### What are the safety rules and practical viewing tips? NASA says solar eclipses require proper eye protection whenever any part of the Sun remains visible. That means eclipse glasses or indirect viewing methods for partial phases; ordinary sunglasses are not enough. (science.nasa.gov) NASA’s Perseid advice is simpler: get away from city lights, let your eyes adjust, and look up with no telescope needed. The agency says the best meteor viewing usually comes in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 13, after the Aug. 12 evening has passed. NASA’s next-step tools are already live for both events: the agency’s Aug. 12 eclipse page and eclipse maps show local visibility, and its Aug. 5 Perseid post gives viewing advice for the Aug. 12-13 peak. (science.nasa.gov) (nasa.gov)