August 2027 Moon Phases

August 2027 is one of the busiest months of the year for skywatchers. A long-anticipated total solar eclipse opens the month, the Perseids peak under a fairly bright Moon, a penumbral lunar eclipse rides along with the Full Sturgeon Moon, and a second New Moon closes things out as a Black Moon. Here’s what’s happening and when.

One of the longest total solar eclipses of the century

On August 2, the New Moon lines up precisely between Earth and the Sun, producing a total solar eclipse whose path of totality begins in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar, crosses southern Spain and northern Morocco, sweeps across Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, crosses the Red Sea into Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and departs over Somalia and the Indian Ocean. Near Luxor, Egypt, totality lasts around 6 minutes 22 to 23 seconds — long enough that it’s often called the “eclipse of the century,” though the technically longest eclipse of the 21st century already happened in 2009, at just over 6 minutes 39 seconds. Roughly 89 million people live within this year’s path of totality.

This eclipse isn’t total anywhere in North America. A partial eclipse touches parts of Maine, and a wider partial eclipse is visible across much of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and South and West Asia. If you’re anywhere in the partial path, certified eclipse glasses are required for the entire event — there’s no point in a partial eclipse where it’s safe to look without them. For eclipse mechanics and the full 2027 schedule, see our eclipse calendar.

The Perseids peak under a fairly bright Moon

The Perseids are active from mid-July through late August, with a broad peak overnight on August 12–13. It’s usually one of the most reliable showers of the year, with rates up to 100 meteors an hour under ideal dark-sky conditions. This year the peak falls with the Moon about 87% illuminated and waxing toward full, so moonlight will wash out the fainter meteors for much of the night — a moderate-interference year rather than an ideal one.

Your best window is before the Moon rises in the evening, or in the hour or so before dawn once it’s low in the west. The Perseids are known for bright fireballs that can cut through moonlight better than fainter meteors, so it’s still worth a look even under less-than-perfect conditions. For the timing of other showers throughout the year, see our meteor shower calendar.

A near-apogee Sturgeon Moon carries a penumbral eclipse

August’s Full Moon is widely known as the Sturgeon Moon, a name tied to sturgeon being easiest to catch in large numbers in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain around this time of year. For the fuller history and other traditional names for it, see our Sturgeon Moon guide.

This Full Moon occurs just 1.9 days after apogee, the Moon’s farthest point from Earth, so it will appear slightly smaller than an average Full Moon and is not a supermoon. It also carries a penumbral lunar eclipse, with the Moon entering Earth’s outer shadow around 1:22 AM EDT, reaching greatest eclipse around 3:14 AM EDT, and exiting the penumbra by about 5:06 AM EDT. Because the darker umbral shadow misses the Moon entirely, the dimming will be subtle. This eclipse is fully visible across most of North and South America; parts of the Pacific and Australia see it around moonrise, while parts of Africa see it around moonset. For tips on photographing it, see our lunar eclipse photography guide.

A Black Moon closes out the month

Because August has 31 days and the lunar cycle runs about 29.5 days, a second New Moon fits into the calendar month, on August 31. Under one common definition, a second New Moon in a single calendar month is called a Black Moon — the New Moon counterpart to a Blue Moon. Like a regular New Moon, it isn’t visible; the term just marks an unusual calendar coincidence rather than anything different about the Moon itself.