Published August 12, 2026 at 12:34 PM HST

There's a lot going on in the night skies this month, according to Roy Gal, assistant astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaiʻi.

The Perseid meteor shower is peaking on Aug. 12 and 13. Viewers should watch out for the shower after midnight or during the early morning hours in a dark site away from the city lights.

In Honolulu, Gal recommends Sandy Beach as a reliable viewing space.

“You get the protection from the mountains there, and the skies are nice and open,” he said. “It may be a little windy, but you don't need a telescope or anything. Just your eyes. Take out a hot chocolate and enjoy.”

Those on Maui can attend a stargazing event at the Institute for Astronomy in upcountry Pukalani on Aug. 15. Telescopes will be available for those interested in seeing deeper sky objects.

Also happening this month is a solar eclipse on Wednesday, one that will be crossing over Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, and northern Spain. The eclipse will not be visible in Hawaiʻi, but Gal says Solar Wind Sherpas — an international team of scientists, engineers, and explorers headed by UH astronomer Shadia R. Habbal — are on the ground in Spain to study it.

“Shadia has been leading a team of astronomers who build specialized telescopes to study the sun during eclipses when they can see the outer solar corona, which is what causes space weather here on Earth,” he said. “They got to build their telescopes, take their trips, and they go all over the world to do their science in these few minutes about once a year.”

Gal says the team is looking at far-flung outer layers of gas, the material that both creates beautiful auroras and knocks out electrical grids and satellites during solar storms.

This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 12, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Annabelle Ink adapted this story for the web.