August 2026: What’s in the Southern Hemisphere sky this month?

Although the early evening sky boasts only one naked-eye planet, quality more than makes up for the lack of quantity. Venus attains a splendid peak when it reaches greatest elongation Aug. 15. It then lies 46° east of the Sun and stands 30° high in the west an hour after sundown. The planet shines brilliantly at magnitude –4.4, making it the sky’s brightest object after the Sun and Moon. Venus crosses from Leo into Virgo on Aug. 1 and spends the rest of the month within the Maiden’s confines. By the end of August, it lies just 2° west of Virgo’s brightest star, 1st-magnitude Spica. You definitely should follow Venus through your telescope this month. The planet’s disk grows noticeably larger while its phase diminishes in concert. On Aug. 1, Venus measures 21″ across and appears 56 percent lit. On the 31st, the planet spans 30″ and the Sun illuminates 39 percent of its Earth-facing hemisphere. By late evening, another stunning solar system world comes into view. Saturn rises in the east a bit before 11 p.m. local time in early August and some two hours earlier by month’s end. The ringed planet resides among the background stars of southern Pisces the Fish, just across the border from Cetus the Whale. Even a small telescope reveals the planet’s lovely ring system. In mid-August, you’ll see the planet’s 19″-diameter disk surrounded by a ring system that spans 43″ and tilts 9° to our line of sight. The sharpest views will come as Saturn climbs higher in the sky after midnight. Also keep an eye out for Saturn’s brightest moons. Eighth-magnitude Titan shows up through any scope, while the 10th-magnitude trio of Tethys, Dione, and Rhea appears in 10-centimeter and larger instruments. You’ll have to wait a while — or plan to get up early — to see the next planet. Mars continues to trek eastward relative to the starry backdrop, moving from eastern Taurus the Bull into central Gemini the Twins. By 5 a.m. local time at the end of August, Mars forms a pretty isosceles triangle with Gemini’s two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. At magnitude 1.3, the planet closely matches the stellar duo. Although it’s easy to spot, Mars shows a featureless disk spanning 5″ when viewed through a telescope. Keen observers should try to spot Mercury in early August. The innermost planet reaches greatest elongation Aug. 2, but it then lies just 19° west of the Sun and hangs low in the east-northeast during morning twilight. A telescope reveals Mercury’s crescent-shaped disk, which measures 8″ across. The planet disappears in the Sun’s glare by midmonth on its way to superior conjunction Aug. 27. Jupiter also plays hide-and-seek with the Sun. You should be able to spot the planet a half-hour before sunrise at the end of August. It shows up in bright twilight only because it shines brilliantly at magnitude –1.8. Jupiter’s visibility suffers from the shallow angle of the ecliptic to the eastern morning horizon at this time of year. Better views will come this spring when the planet appears farther from the Sun. A nearly total lunar eclipse occurs Aug. 28. Residents across South America can watch the entire event. The partial phase runs from 2h33m UT to 5h52m UT and peaks at 4h13m UT. At maximum, 93 percent of the Full Moon lies in Earth’s umbral shadow, and viewers should see Luna’s southern half take on a reddish glow. A total solar eclipse also takes place this month, on the 12th, but the narrow path of totality only touches the Northern Hemisphere. To see totality from solid ground, you’ll have to travel to either Iceland or Spain. The starry sky Late winter is one of the best times of year for Southern Hemisphere stargazers. On a moonless night away from the lights of the city, the Milky Way looks truly magnificent. One of the most recognizable constellations, Scorpius, passes nearly overhead in the early evening. Be sure to take some time to explore the Scorpion with your naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. Scorpius is one of the 88 constellations the International Astronomical Union officially recognized in the 1920s. Although that may seem like a lot — after all, they do cover the entire sky without any gaps or overlap — many earlier observers attempted to introduce more. A little-known one occupies a small area in the constellation Ophiuchus the Serpent-bearer, which lies due north of Scorpius. Lithuanian astronomer Marcin Poczobutt (1728–1810) introduced the diminutive Taurus Poniatovii in 1777, creating the sky’s second bull. Poczobutt, the director of the Royal Observatory in the capital city Vilnius (which was then called Vilna), wanted to honor King Stanislaw Poniatowski (1732–1798), Poland’s last king. Although the constellation’s pattern is certainly obscure, the little V-shaped group of stars that marks the bull’s head is easy to find. The stars have the Flamsteed numbers 66, 67, 68, 70, and 73 Ophiuchi; 67, 68, and 70 create a small, easy to see triangle not far from Ophiuchus’ border with Serpens. The pair 71 and 72 Oph forms one of the bull’s horns while 4 Aquilae marks its right front foot and Theta (θ) Serpentis the left front foot. Sadly for Taurus Poniatovii (and the king), the constellation did not survive. However, a rendition of it appears in a set of constellation cards published in London in 1824. Star Dome The map below portrays the sky as seen near 30° south latitude. Located inside the border are the cardinal directions and their intermediate points. To find stars, hold the map overhead and orient it so one of the labels matches the direction you’re facing. The stars above the map’s horizon now match what’s in the sky. The all-sky map shows how the sky looks at: 9 p.m. August 18 p.m. August 157 p.m. August 31 Planets are shown at midmonth Dr. Martin George is an astronomy speaker and writer who currently serves as Chair of International Development and Elections at the International Planetarium Society.