It will be an evening to mark on the calendar for astronomy enthusiasts. On Wednesday, August 12, the sky will put on two shows just hours apart: a solar eclipse in the late afternoon and, as night falls, the peak of the Perseids, the traditional summer meteor shower.
The eclipse will be total only in certain parts of the world, while from Italy it will be visible as a partial eclipse. The phenomenon will begin shortly before sunset and will be particularly noticeable in the north-western regions. In Liguria, in Ventimiglia, the Sun’s disk will be covered by up to 94.8%, while the figure drops to 79.4% in Rome and 40.4% in Palermo.
Once the Sun’s show is over, it will be the turn of the Perseids, which will reach their peak activity on the very night of August 12. Conditions will be especially favourable thanks to the new Moon, which will ensure darker skies: according to the Italian Amateur Astronomers Union (Unione Astrofili Italiani), under the best conditions observers could see up to 100 meteors an hour.
To watch the eclipse safely, however, protecting your eyes is essential: ordinary sunglasses are not enough. Special eclipse glasses certified to the ISO 12312-2 standard are required, and should be worn before looking towards the Sun and kept on throughout the observation.
For the shooting stars, on the other hand, the advice is to get as far away as possible from city lights. According to astronomy enthusiasts, 2026 could offer one of the best nights of the decade to watch the Perseids.
