Topline
The classic week of crescent moons and meteors is upon us. On Tuesday, July 14, there will be a new moon – when our natural satellite will be roughly between the Earth and the Sun – after which it will appear in the evening sky after sunset next to the bright star Regulus and then Venus. This is a great week to see Earthlight, a special type of light on the Moon’s surface, with the naked eye, just as the annual Perseid meteor shower begins – one of the celestial highlights of the year. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the stars and skies July 13-19, 2026.
A meteor shower puts on a dazzling show over the US National Science Foundation’s Kitt Peak National Observatory, an NSF NOIRLab program near Tucson, Arizona. The annual Perseid meteor shower begins this week. It runs from July 17 to August 24, but all eyes will be on the night of August 12-13 when it reaches its peak under completely dark, moonless skies.
KPNO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/R. Sparks
Chronology
The new moon occurs at 5:43 a.m. Eastern Time, when the Moon is roughly between the Earth and the Sun, its illuminated side facing away from us. This is the best night of the week for observing deep space. In the absence of moonlight, the Milky Way is visible from dark rural skies, especially after midnight.
Look west about 45 minutes after sunset. On Wednesday, after sunset, the waxing moon will shine in the west with 4% illumination. Look for Earthshine, a subtle glow on the dark side of the Moon caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth and back onto the lunar surface and then back into your eyes.
At dusk, look low in the west for the two-day-old waxing moon, 10% illuminated. Look for Venus in the upper left corner. This is also a good chance to see Earthshine.
To the left of Venus in the west, the waxing moon will shine after dark at 17% illumination. Venus will remain the main evening object throughout the summer.
The waxing moon, at 4% illuminated, will be much easier to see after sunset on Wednesday, July 15th.
Stellarium
Beginning of the Perseid meteor shower
The annual Perseid meteor shower begins this week. It lasts from July 17 to August 24, according to the American Meteor Society, but all eyes will be on the night of August 12-13, when it will peak under completely dark, moonless skies. Formed from debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are known for their bright, fast meteors and rare fireballs. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, observers could see 60 to 100 meteors per hour after midnight, with the highest rates occurring before dawn. With no moonlight to interfere in 2026, it’s expected to be one of the best displays of the Perseids in years, especially for observers away from city lights—and it comes just hours after a total solar eclipse in Greenland, Iceland and Spain, which is partially visible across much of North America and Western Europe.
At twilight on Thursday, July 16, low in the west, look for a two-day-old waxing moon at 10% illumination, with Venus in the upper left.
Stellarium
Watching the waxing moon
This is the perfect week to develop a habit that most casual sky watchers never develop—watching the new moon turn from a thin crescent to a half-lit orb. After sunset on Wednesday, you’ll see it rise higher and get a little brighter each night, moving east against a backdrop of stars. This motion mirrors the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, completing a full rotation approximately every 27 days.
The small constellation of Lyra, the Harp – a small parallelogram of faint stars – rests on Vega, one of the brightest stars in the entire sky.
Getty
Constellation of the week: Lyra
The small constellation of Lyra, the Harp – a small parallelogram of faint stars – rests on Vega, one of the brightest stars in the entire sky. It occupies a special place in astronomical history. About 12,000 years ago, due to the slow wobble of the Earth’s axis known as precession, Vega was the polar star. In about 12,000 years, it will again become the polar star. This is also a criterion – the brightness of all other stars is measured by the brightness of Vega.
The times and dates shown are for mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate information about a specific location, consult online planetariums such as Stellarium.