Topline
This week is perfect for letting the moon give you a tour of some of the night sky’s most important bright stars. On July 20, it will shine close to Spica in the constellation Virgo — a famous star of summer in the Northern Hemisphere — before becoming half-lit the following day. Later this week, the moon will pass close to Antares in the constellation Scorpius, a massive red supergiant star about 550 light-years from Earth. For stargazers in North America and across mid-northern latitudes, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week, July 20-26, 2026.
Timeline
At dusk, face southwest to see the 46%-lit waxing crescent moon hanging below blue-white Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. It’s actually a binary star system — two stars orbiting each other — but it appears as a single point.
The moon reaches first quarter today. From here through July 29’s full Buck Moon, it begins to bleach the night sky. However, if you have a backyard telescope, tonight is ideal — scan along the line between light and shadow on the moon, and you’ll see some dramatic craters and mountains.
The now 74%-lit waxing gibbous moon is moving toward Scorpius. Look south after dusk for its brightest star, the red supergiant Antares, the “heart of the Scorpion.” From mid-northern latitudes, Scorpius will be low in the south.
Look south about an hour after sunset tonight to see the now 82%-lit waxing gibbous moon hanging just a couple of degrees from Antares.
Constellation Of The Week: Scorpius
A lot of the constellations in the night sky don’t obviously resemble the figures, animals or objects they’re supposed to. An exception is Scorpius, whose curved body and hooked tail really do resemble a scorpion. Sadly, from mid-northern latitudes, it doesn’t get far above the southern horizon, making it rare to see the entire constellation. However, you should easily be able to find Antares, with its three bright stars in the scorpion’s stinger — Shaula, Acrab and Dschubba — also obvious.
What’s Next In The Night Sky
Over the next four weeks, the moon continues to wax, culminating in the rise — during dusk — of the full Buck Moon on July 29. The Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks on July 31-Aug. 1, albeit during bright moonlight, followed shortly by the Perseid meteor shower building toward its peak overnight on Aug. 12-13, producing around 50 “shooting stars” per hour. As it happens, a total solar eclipse will have occurred hours before, ensuring a new moon — so the darkest of night skies.
The coming total solar eclipse
On Aug. 12, the moon will pass directly between Earth and the sun, casting a narrow, but dark shadow across eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain — a total solar eclipse. For those inside the path, a short totality — up to 2 minutes 18 seconds — will turn daylight into a deep twilight and, if skies are clear, reveal the sun’s corona. Eclipse chasers are targeting Greenland’s Scoresby Sund, Iceland’s volcanic landscapes and flat horizons in Spain, where the eclipse will take place shortly before sunset. North America gets a partial eclipse, best in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S., with about 53% of the sun covered in St. John’s, 31% in Halifax, 16% in Boston and 10% in New York. Solar eclipse glasses will be essential throughout.
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.
