Dear Friends –
Next Wed., Aug. 12, 2026, is a big astronomy day with both a solar eclipse and the annual Perseid meteor shower. Details and more information:
- The eclipse features totality along a narrow path through Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, and a partial solar eclipse for Alaska, Canada, the northeastern U.S., Ireland, the UK, and much of western Europe (map below). Use the FREE Totality App to check your local circumstances. For more details see my prior post and my Eclipse Q&A.
- The annual Perseid meteor shower peaks that same night (Aug. 12 into the morning of Aug. 13)! This year’s should be particularly good since the new moon means no moonlight to brighten the sky (recall that a solar eclipse can only happen at new moon). For more details about meteor showers and how to watch them, please see my meteor shower Q&A.
Screenshot from apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250812.html
Totality in 2027 and 2028: If you want to experience totality (you do!) and build a great trip around it, 2027 and 2028 offer amazing opportunities (maps below are screenshots from the Totality app):
- Aug. 2, 2027: This spectacular eclipse tracks across southernmost Spain, Gibraltar, and northern Africa (first map below). At its point of maximum duration (in Egypt), it will be the longest totality for the rest of this century.
- July 22, 2028: As you can see on the second map , this is a great opportunity to explore Australia.
- As usual, use the FREE Totality App to explore the maps and learn more about these (and other) eclipses.
- You can already find many organized trips for both of these eclipses. And if you are interested in joining me, I’ll be a speaker for an eclipse trip in Gibraltar for 2027 and on an Astronomy Magazine cruise for 2028. (Click the links for details and pricing, and please tell them that I sent you.)
The Scale of the Universe: If you are interested in hearing me speak about my new book, please check out the following:
- TV interview on Great Day Colorado, including brief tour of the CU Voyage Scale Model Solar System: https://youtu.be/nSNIzsbJ2OA?si=9sIqzA_0sMSLqGRO.
- Podcast interview for How on Earth with Joel Parker: https://howonearthradio.org/archives/10509
- Berthoud, CO, live talk: Oct. 16, 7pm, Little Thompson Observatory
- San Diego, CA, live talk: Oct. 22, 4:30pm, Point Loma Library
Best,
Jeff