Astronomy News 12 August 2025

Cosmic Weekend Spectacle: Meteors, Planets, and Aurora Hints Light Up Aug 16–17, 2025

The Perseid meteor shower remains active on August 16–17, even though its peak occurred on August 12–13. The meteors originate from debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, an ancient celestial body well over 5 billion years old. Moonlight washes out fainter meteors, but a few bright Perseid fireballs have still been observed. Meteor rates predawn are expected to be around a dozen per hour at mid-northern latitudes, with the American Meteor Society estimating about 15–20 meteors per hour in ideal conditions (though moonlight will reduce that). Minor sources like the kappa Cygnids contribute about 1 meteor per hour. Venus and Jupiter form

16 August 2025

Don’t Miss SpaceX’s Dazzling Starlink “Satellite Train” – Here’s How to Watch It

As of August 2025, there are over 8,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, with about 8,075 currently functioning and accounting for roughly 65% of all active satellites. Starlink satellites orbit at roughly 550 km (340 miles) altitude and are launched in batches of 50+ on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, with each satellite weighing 260–800 kg depending on version. They are visible because they reflect sunlight, best seen in the hour after sunset or before sunrise when the sun is 10–30 degrees below the horizon, appearing as a moving train of lights. Early satellites were extremely bright, leading SpaceX to test DarkSat

16 August 2025

Astronomy · How-To Guides · Satellites · Space · SpaceX · Starlink

You Won’t Believe How Easily You Can Spot the ISS – Ultimate International Space Station Viewing Guide

The ISS is roughly football-field-sized, sits about 250 miles above Earth, travels at about 17,500 mph, and completes an orbit every ~92 minutes, circling Earth about 16 times per day. Its orbit is inclined about 51.6° to the equator, so its ground track passes over more than 90% of Earth’s population and it never goes farther north than 51.6° N or south than 51.6° S. It shines by reflected sunlight, is often the third-brightest object after the Sun and Moon, appears as a steady white dot with no blinking, and can flare slightly when sunlight glints off its solar panels.

16 August 2025

Astronomy · ISS · Night Sky · Space · Space Guides · Space Watching

Day Turns to Night: Everything You Need to Know About the Epic August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse

The August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow path of totality across Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small corner of Portugal. Peak totality is magnitude 1.0386, lasting up to about 2 minutes 18 seconds, with the longest land duration at Látrabjarg, Iceland (around 2 minutes). It is the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in 27 years (since 1999); Spain last had one in 1905 and Iceland in 1954, marking a 121-year drought for Spain and 72 years for Iceland. The greatest eclipse occurs around 17:47 UTC over the Atlantic near Iceland,

15 August 2025

2026 · Astronomy · Events · Science · Solar Eclipse

Shoot the Stars in 2025: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography

The Nikon Z8, released in late 2023, features a 45.7 MP full‑frame sensor and Night Vision mode, making it a top astrophotography option in 2025. The Canon EOS R6 Mark II, a 24.2 MP full‑frame camera with ISO up to 102,400 and in‑body stabilization, is a versatile astro workhorse around $2,500. The ZWO ASI585MC Pro cooled color camera (~8.3 MP) debuted in 2024 and is priced around $599, offering higher nebula sensitivity than unmodified DSLRs. The Sharpstar/RedCat 51 telescope has a 51 mm aperture and 250 mm focal length (f/4.9), and is praised as a beginner-friendly imaging optic. The Sky-Watcher

14 August 2025

Astronomy · Astrophotography · Beginner Guide · Camera Tips · Night Photography

Don’t Miss These Sky Events on August 14–15, 2025: Shooting Stars, Planet Alignments, and More

Perseid meteor shower remains active August 14–15, with Moonlight washing out fainter meteors and an expected rate around 10–20 per hour. Auroras could appear on August 14–15 due to solar activity, but forecasters expect only mild geomagnetic activity (Kp 5–6, G1–G2) and no major storm. Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn pair around August 14–15, with Venus at magnitude -4 about 20–30° above the eastern horizon and Jupiter nearby. Saturn is near opposition later in August, at about magnitude +0.4, bright and high in the southern sky for late-night viewing. Mars remains visible in the western sky after sunset,

14 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Planets · Sky Events · Stargazing

Dobsonian Showdown: StellaLyra 8″ f/6 vs Apertura AD8 vs Orion SkyQuest XT8

All three models are 8″ f/6 Newtonian Dobsonians with ~1200 mm focal length and a 203 mm parabolic primary. StellaLyra 8″ f/6 and Apertura AD8 use enhanced aluminum coatings with ~93% reflectivity and a quartz overcoat, while the Orion SkyQuest XT8 uses traditional aluminum coatings with ~89–91% reflectivity. The StellaLyra 8″ and Apertura AD8 feature 2″ dual-speed Crayford focusers (10:1 fine focus), while the Orion XT8 Classic uses a 2″ single-speed Crayford (the XT8 Plus adds a dual-speed). All use Dobsonian wooden mounts; StellaLyra/AD8 employ a GSO-style base with Lazy Susan azimuth bearing and large tension knobs, while the XT8

13 August 2025

Astronomy · Comparisons · Dobsonian · Reviews · Telescopes

Celestron 8SE vs Skymax 127 vs Vaonis Vespera II – Which Telescope Outshines the Rest in 2025?

Celestron NexStar 8SE is an 8-inch (203.2 mm) Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 2032 mm focal length (f/10) on a computerized alt-azimuth GoTo mount. Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 is a 5-inch Maksutov-Cassegrain with a 127 mm primary (about 120 mm effective) and ~1500 mm focal length (f/12), optimized for high magnification. Vaonis Vespera II is a 50 mm apochromatic quadruplet refractor (f/5) with a 250 mm focal length and an onboard 8.3 MP Sony IMX585 sensor, viewed through a smartphone app rather than a traditional eyepiece. The 8SE uses Celestron’s NexStar+ computerized hand controller with a ~40,000-object database for GoTo targeting. The Skymax

13 August 2025

Astronomy · Comparisons · Reviews · Technology · Telescopes

8-Inch Showdown: NexStar 8SE vs Apertura AD8 vs eVscope 2 – Classic Telescopes Battle Smart Tech in 2025

Celestron NexStar 8SE is an 8-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain with a 203 mm aperture, a 2032 mm focal length (f/10), and a GoTo motorized single-fork alt-azimuth mount. Apertura AD8 is an 8-inch Dobsonian (Newtonian) with about 1200 mm focal length (f/5.9) and a manual, rock-solid wooden alt-az mount. Unistellar eVscope 2 is a 4.5-inch (114 mm) f/3.9 scope with a 450 mm focal length that stacks images in real time via built-in imaging and a Nikon OLED eyepiece. The 8SE and AD8 require occasional collimation to perform optimally, while the eVscope 2 ships pre-aligned with factory alignment. Optical performance places the 8SE

13 August 2025

Astronomy · Reviews · Showdowns · Smart Tech · Telescopes

Memory Loss Reversed, ‘Coral’ on Mars, and a Tiny Killer Whale: Science News Roundup (Aug 12–13, 2025)

On its 4,608th Martian sol, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured a 5-cm coral-shaped rock nicknamed Paposo in Gale Crater, suggesting ancient liquid water in Mars’ history. A global river study radiocarbon-dating CO2 from over 700 rivers found that about 60% of river-emitted carbon comes from ancient carbon stores. The same study estimates plants and soils may be absorbing roughly 1 gigaton of CO2 per year to offset these ancient carbon releases. By 2080, rising seas could inundate Easter Island’s Moai at Ahu Tongariki and up to 51 other cultural sites, risking UNESCO World Heritage status. Janjucetus dullardi, a 2-meter-long, sharp-toothed Oligocene

13 August 2025

Astronomy · Biology · Medical Breakthroughs · Science News · Space Discoveries

Don’t Miss the Cosmic Show: Perseid Meteors, Planetary Duet & Auroras (Aug 13–14, 2025)

The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12–13, 2025, with a bright Moon at about 84% full that reduces typical rates from 50–75 meteors per hour to about 10–20 per hour or fewer. The best Perseid viewing is after dark, especially between midnight and dawn around 2:00–4:00 a.m. local time when the Perseus radiant is highest, per NASA. The Perseids are debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, whose last near-Earth approach was in 1992. On August 13–14 the Moon is waning gibbous at about 75–80% illumination, rises in mid-evening, and its brightness washes out fainter stars and meteors. On August 8–9 a

13 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Night Sky · Skywatching · Space Events

Spectacular Sky Show on Aug 12–13, 2025: Perseid Meteors, Planetary “Kiss” & More

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13, 2025, with an expected rate of 10–20 meteors per hour under an 84% full moon. Even with the bright Moon, the brightest Perseid fireballs and colorful streaks are expected to punch through the moonlight. The best viewing window is after midnight, with the peak around 2–3 AM local time as the Perseus radiant climbs higher. Venus and Jupiter will appear about 1° apart in the pre-dawn sky on August 12, 2025, with their closest approach on August 11–12. A planetary parade will

12 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Night Sky Events · Perseids · Planetary Conjunctions

Astronomy News 12 August 2025 - 16 August 2025