August 2026 will bring an unusually dense cluster of astronomical events, with several major phenomena converging around the same week. Highlights include the Perseid meteor shower, a total solar eclipse visible from parts of Europe, a rare six-planet alignment, and a partial lunar eclipse later in the month, offering keen skywatchers multiple opportunities to observe celestial events without specialist equipment.

The Perseids will peak on the night of 12 August, coinciding with a new moon for particularly dark skies. That same day, a total solar eclipse will occur at sunset, with totality crossing parts of Spain, Portugal, Iceland and Greenland—the Iberian Peninsula's first total solar eclipse in over a century, with Madrid included in the path of totality. Also in the early hours of 12 August, six planets—Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—will form an apparent line in the sky, though Uranus and Neptune will require a telescope to see. The month closes on 27 August with a partial lunar eclipse covering up to 96% of the Moon's disc, visible across most of the Americas and requiring no eye protection to observe.