Actual Astronomy - The Observer’s Calendar for August 2026
Release Date: 08/06/2026
NOIRLab - The Start of the LSST
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Hosted by Rob Sparks. The 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time has officially started, marking the beginning of a new era in astronomy and astrophysics. Over the next ten years, Rubin will relentlessly observe the entire southern sky every few nights to create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe. This long-awaited milestone is the culmination of years of effort by thousands of people around the world. In this podcast, Dr. Christina Williams and Dr. Yumi Choi describe the LSST and its science goals as well as what they are most excited about researching...
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EVSN - After Hours: Space Rocks Collected for Science With Guest Dr. Rhonda Stroud
The 365 Days of Astronomy
From July 15, 2026. Hosted by: Dr. Pamela L. Gay () Our solar system readily provides us with free samples of other worlds in the form of meteorites. The trick comes in first recognizing them, and then in understanding what science is locked in their minerals. One major center for collecting and studying these space rocks is Arizona State University's Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies which houses the Carleton B. Moore Meteorite Collection. Join us as we discuss the collection with Director Rhonda Stroud. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing,...
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Actual Astronomy - The Observer’s Calendar for August 2026
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. Episode 545 of the Actual Astronomy podcast features hosts Chris and Shane discussing the observer’s calendar and planetary visibility for August 2026. Throughout the month, skywatchers can track key planetary positions, including Venus in the morning sky and Jupiter rising around 3:00 AM. Notable astronomical highlights include the Perseid meteor shower, multiple lunar feature viewings, and a partial lunar...
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Ask A Spaceman Ep. 277: What’s It Like to Travel Near the Speed of Light?
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Life at lightspeed! Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter. What does high-speed motion through the Universe do to your perspective? What is the Rindler horizon, and how does it appear? Would you get vaporized by a high-energy bath of radiation? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: All episodes: Watch on YouTube: Read a book: Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SPACE! Big thanks to my top Patreon supporters this month:...
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Awesome Astronomy - August Part 2: Jodrell Bank Murder Club
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Paul Hill and Dr. Jenifer “Dr. Dust” Millard host. Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce. Angry episode where Paul and Jeni have their blood boiled by the decision to defund Jodrell Bank Observatory and the plans to launch over a million satellites, thousands of which will be brighter then the full moon! We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps!...
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Astronomy Cast Ep. 85: Detectors
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Hosted by: Fraser Cain () and Dr. Pamela L. Gay () From April 21, 2008. Our senses can only detect a fraction of the phenomena happening in the Universe. That’s why scientists and engineers develop detectors, to let us see radiation and particles that we could never detect with our eyes and ears. This week we’ll go through them all, so you can understand how we see what we can’t see. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and...
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Travelers in the Night Eps. 363E & 364E: House Sized Space Rocks & Jupiter
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. From November 2025. Today's 2 topics: - Throughout history small close approaching space rocks have been a part of our environment. Now, thanks to improved telescopes and cameras, asteroid hunters are routinely discovering these small asteroids as they pass closer than the Moon is to us. Since these tiny asteroids are only bright enough to detect for a few days out of their long, many month duration paths about the Sun,...
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Space Stories - Betelgeuse Was Never Alone
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Hosted by Avivah Yamani, our Director! Was Betelgeuse ever truly alone? For over 100 years, astronomers searched for a hidden companion to Orion's famous red supergiant. Now, new observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope have revealed the clearest evidence yet that Betelgeuse has a stellar companion. Discover the science, the mystery, and why this finding is changing our understanding of one of the sky's most famous stars. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share...
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EVSN - Betelgeuse Smaller Than Previously Calculated, Still A Mystery
The 365 Days of Astronomy
From February 10, 2021. Hosted by Dr. Pamela L. Gay. Scientists collected fresh data on Orion’s bright star Betelgeuse to try and understand this star that caused so much controversy. They found it’s smaller than previously calculated, and last year’s dimming was likely caused by dust, but it’s also more complex than thought. Plus, galaxies, Earth’s forests, ice on Mars, and Saturn’s moon Rhea. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with...
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UNAWE Space Scoop - A Blazing Hot World With A Buzzing Secret
The 365 Days of Astronomy
Hosted by our editor, Richard Drumm. Far, far away from Earth, over 300 light-years away, is an incredible exoplanet called WASP-189b, in the constellation Libra, the scales. It lies a bit to the NW of Beta Librae, or Zubeneschamali, and almost exactly due north of the Libra star with my favorite star name: Zubenelgenubi! WASP-189 is the star & 189b is the planet. It has about twice Jupiter’s mass and about 1 1/2 times its diameter. It orbits its star in 2 days & 17 hours, so it’s really close in! But this isn’t just any old planet. 189b is a giant, blazing-hot world with...
info_outlineHosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. actualastronomy@gmail.com
Episode 545 of the Actual Astronomy podcast features hosts Chris and Shane discussing the observer’s calendar and planetary visibility for August 2026. Throughout the month, skywatchers can track key planetary positions, including Venus in the morning sky and Jupiter rising around 3:00 AM. Notable astronomical highlights include the Perseid meteor shower, multiple lunar feature viewings, and a partial lunar eclipse accompanying the Full Moon on August 28th.
Planet Positions & Visibility:
- Mercury: Very close to the Sun. Superior conjunction on the 27th.
- Venus: In W, evening sky all month.
- Mars: Rises at 3 AM in ENE.
- Jupiter: Hidden behind the Sun at the start of Aug. Will rise around 5 AM by the end of month.
- Saturn: Rises in E around midnight, transits around 5:00 AM, high in SSE at dawn.
Astronomical Events by Date:
- August 2
- Mercury at greatest morning elongation (19° from Sun)
- Comet 10P/Tempel 2visible at 2:25 AM
- Image for when moon leaves in second week of Aug.
- August 3
- Lunar Feature (Mare Orientale) visible at 4:45 AM
- Carbon star RS Cyg best in evening
- August 5
- Last Quarter Moon at 22:21
***August 5 Falcon 9 Upper Stage lunar impact anyone?***
- August 9
- Mars 4° SW of crescent Moon before dawn.
- Star cluster NGC 6791 well placed this evening
- August 10
- Moon at perigee
- Wild Duck Cluster (M11) well placed this evening
- August 11
- Mercury 2° South of Moon, just before dawn.
- Globular clusters M22 and M28 well placed this evening
- August 12
- New Moon at 13:37 — Partial solar eclipse for US east coast.
- Perseid meteors (ZHR=100), late evening, but best seen after midnight
- August 16
- Venus 9° W of Moon
- August 19
- First Quarter Moon at 22:46
- Lunar feature Barrow Ray visible at 8:30 PM
- Carbon star S Sct best in evening
- August 23
- Lunar feature Jeweled Handle visible at 12:00 AM
- Carbon star V CrB best in evening
- August 26
- Crater Bailly visible at 10:00 PM
- 57 Aql (colorful double star) visible
- August 28th
- Full Moon: Occurs at 0:19.
- Partial (96%) Lunar Eclipse
- 9 Metis at Opposition: Visible at magnitude m = 9.3 The asteroid was discovered on April 25, 1848, by Irish astronomer Andrew Graham. It was his only asteroid discovery and holds historical significance as the only asteroid ever discovered from an observatory in Ireland (the Markree Observatory). Scientists believe 9 Metis has a cataclysmic history. It is highly dense and rich in metals, leading researchers to conclude that it is likely the core remnant of an ancient, much larger primordial asteroid. This parent body was completely destroyed and stripped of its outer crust by a colossal space collision billions of years ago.
We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.
Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can!
Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!
Every bit helps! Thank you!
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