Illinois Gets A Look At Meteor Showers And 2 Eclipses In August

If you're the kind of person (like me) who can't resist looking up whenever something interesting is happening in the sky, August is shaping up to be your month. Illinois residents will have not one, but three celestial events to enjoy.

If conditions play out right, you'll get the annual Perseid meteor shower, along with a partial solar eclipse, and then a deep partial lunar eclipse that should put on quite a show before the month is over.

The first highlight is the Perseid meteor shower, one of the year's most reliable and spectacular meteor displays. The Perseids peak on the nights of August 12th and 13th, and are famous for producing bright, fast-moving "shooting stars" that often leave glowing trails across the sky. Under dark conditions, observers can sometimes spot dozens of meteors per hour. The shower happens every August when Earth passes through debris left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle.

silhouette of person under starry sky

But Wait, There's More

That same day, August 12th, brings a partial solar eclipse.

While the total eclipse will be visible across parts of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, Illinois will catch only a tiny partial eclipse around midday. In the Chicago area, less than one percent of the Sun will be covered, making it a subtle event but still one that requires certified eclipse glasses for safe viewing. Never look directly at the Sun without proper eye protection (as we learned a couple of years back with "eclipse glasses").

Then, on the night of August 27th into the early morning of August 28th, the Moon takes center stage.

A deep partial lunar eclipse will place about 93 to 96 percent of the Moon into Earth's darkest shadow, giving it an eerie reddish-orange appearance that will look very much like a "Blood Moon."

photo of eclipse

Unlike a solar eclipse, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with your naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope.

Three major sky events in a single month don't come around very often. If Mother Nature cooperates with clear skies, August could provide some of the best reasons all year to spend a little extra time looking up.