Updated

Updated · WBUR News · Aug 6

Massachusetts Awaits 3 August Sky Events, Including 96% Lunar Eclipse and Perseids Peak

Updated

Updated · WBUR News · Aug 6

Massachusetts Awaits 3 August Sky Events, Including 96% Lunar Eclipse and Perseids Peak

Q: Could hidden city lights completely erase your chances of witnessing this month's rare triple celestial alignment in Massachusetts?

No. Hidden city lights will not wipe out all three sky events, but they can sharply reduce your chances of seeing the Perseids well. The Aug. 12 partial solar eclipse will be visible in Massachusetts in daylight, with maximum coverage around 1:55 to 2 p.m. Light pollution is irrelevant for that event. What matters is eye safety and weather: viewers need certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses or a safe indirect method such as projecting the Sun’s image. The near-total lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28 also should remain visible from cities and suburbs. At peak, about 96% of the Moon will be covered just after midnight, and the Moon may turn coppery. Because the Moon is bright, urban lighting generally will not erase the event, though haze or cloud cover could dull it. The Perseid meteor shower is the event most vulnerable to city glow. Experts say dark locations can produce dozens of meteors per hour, and in ideal conditions perhaps up to 100. In typical light-polluted areas, that can drop to only occasional meteors. So city lights do not completely erase your chances, but they can turn a dramatic meteor display into a much weaker one. For the best odds, head to a dark, open site away from streetlights, let your eyes adjust for 20 to 30 minutes, avoid phone screens, and stay out later into the night or before dawn, when Perseid activity is strongest. Cloud cover, more than hidden city lights, is the only factor that could truly spoil all three events.

Q: How will an unusually dark moon phase unlock a spectacular hidden display of up to 100 shooting stars this week?

An unusually dark new-moon phase will make the Perseid meteor shower far easier to see by removing moonlight that would otherwise wash out faint meteors. That matters this week because the Perseids peak on the night of Aug. 12 into the early hours of Aug. 13, the same date as the partial solar eclipse and the new moon. Since a solar eclipse can only happen at new moon, the moon will be essentially invisible in the night sky, leaving darker conditions for meteor watching. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, observers could see as many as 100 meteors an hour, though most people in brighter suburban or city locations will see fewer. Kelly Beatty of Sky & Telescope told WBUR that meteor activity should begin around 9 p.m., with the best viewing later at night. Other astronomy guidance points to the strongest rates after midnight and especially before dawn, when the shower’s radiant in Perseus climbs higher. The Perseids are caused by Earth passing through debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Those tiny particles burn up in the atmosphere, producing the bright streaks known as shooting stars. No telescope is needed; the key is darkness, patience and a wide view of the sky. For the best chance at the “hidden” display, head away from city lights, give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust, and scan broadly rather than staring only at Perseus. In Massachusetts, clear weather and a dark location will determine how close viewers get to the shower’s top potential.

Q: What happens when the moon turns a mysterious coppery red during a rare near-total eclipse later this month?

When the Moon turns coppery red during the Aug. 27–28 near-total lunar eclipse, it is passing deep into Earth’s shadow and being lit only by sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere. That reddish glow happens for the same reason sunsets look red. As sunlight skims through the atmosphere, blue light is scattered away and red and orange wavelengths are bent into Earth’s shadow and onto the lunar surface. Astronomers often call the effect a “blood moon,” though in this case Massachusetts will see a deep partial eclipse, not a fully total one. Because this eclipse is unusually deep, with about 96% of the Moon covered at maximum, it may look strikingly close to a total lunar eclipse. At peak, just after midnight in Massachusetts, most of the Moon should appear dim, rust-colored, or coppery, with only a thin brighter sliver left outside the darkest part of Earth’s shadow. The exact shade can vary depending on conditions in Earth’s atmosphere, including dust, smoke, or volcanic particles. Unlike the partial solar eclipse earlier in the month, this event is completely safe to watch with the naked eye. No eclipse glasses are needed. Clear skies and a good view of the Moon are enough. The spectacle is part of an unusually active August sky over Massachusetts, and Sky & Telescope’s Kelly Beatty noted that a comparable lunar eclipse will not return until late 2028.

3 articles · Updated · WBUR News · Aug 6

Aug. 12 will bring Massachusetts a partial solar eclipse around 2 p.m., with roughly one-sixth of the sun expected to be covered.
Specialty eclipse glasses are required for direct solar viewing; Sky & Telescope's Kelly Beatty said a binoculars-and-paper projection setup is a safe backup.
Aug. 12-13 also marks the Perseids peak, with meteors from comet Swift-Tuttle debris hitting the atmosphere at about 133,000 mph and producing as many as 100 per hour in very dark skies.
Aug. 27-28 will feature a near-full lunar eclipse peaking just after midnight, when about 96% of the moon will be in Earth's shadow and may take on a coppery tint.
The lunar event can be viewed without eye protection, and Beatty said the next almost-total lunar eclipse will not arrive until late 2028.