{"id":384965,"date":"2026-07-03T13:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/384965\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T13:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:53:13","slug":"bay-area-astronomy-cool-things-to-look-for-in-the-night-skies-in-summer-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/384965\/","title":{"rendered":"Bay Area astronomy: Cool things to look for in the night skies in summer 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the world seems out of control, sometimes there\u2019s nothing more reassuring than going out into the backyard and simply looking up<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amateur astronomy<\/a> is a popular hobby in the Bay Area, and there\u2019s plenty happening in our night skies this summer and early fall to illuminate and wow. So there\u2019s no better time than right now to cut off the screens and the urban gray noise, and bask in a show<\/a> that\u2019s been going on for billions of years.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason that stargazing can make us feel centered in chaotic times, says\u00a0Andrew Fraknoi<\/a>, astronomy-faculty emeritus at Los Altos Hills\u2019 Foothill College and an astronomy professor at USF\u2019s Fromm Institute.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when our political leaders seem to be completely unpredictable, there\u2019s some sense of reassurance that the cycles of the sky go on. They go on just as we predict from our understanding of celestial motions and gravity, and there\u2019s an order and regularity there that\u2019s so often missing from our everyday lives,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Wizard Nebula is pictured in this image taken by astrophotographer Bob Schiff in Danville, Calif. (Courtesy of Bob Schiff)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not that predictable means dull. Like they say on \u201cStar Trek,\u201d space is our final frontier.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany amateur astronomers tell me that when they\u2019re out there in their backyard \u2014 maybe with their small telescope, looking up at distant things like a nebula or even another galaxy \u2014 it gives them this remarkable sense of connecting with the frontier. It\u2019s connecting with something much bigger than themselves, which is a lovely feeling,\u201d Fraknoi says.<\/p>\n

How can a newbie get started in their own backyard? First off, it helps to know the schedule. This summer will see a blockbuster meteor shower, the Perseids<\/a>, as well as a blood-red lunar eclipse. There is an International Asteroid Day in which the world will probably not get demolished, a visit from a 5-year periodic comet and views of the Milky Way\u2019s brilliant core. (See below for a monthly breakdown of astronomical events.)<\/p>\n

The only gear most people will need is their eyes. It helps to let them adjust for 5 or 10 minutes before heading outside \u2013 don\u2019t go out directly after watching TV. Beyond that, telescopes continue to get more accessible and capable, but even the more expensive computer-assisted telescopes that are all the rage now among amateur astronomers aren\u2019t needed for basic backyard explorations.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I think people should get a manually operated telescope, initially, say a 6-or-8 inch Dobsonian reflector or Newtonian reflector. A manually operated telescope will require you to actually find things in the sky yourself, and for me part of the enjoyment is learning the sky,\u201d says Raymond Howard, outreach coordinator for the century-old Eastbay Astronomical Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"BecauseBecause of the Earth’s rotation, layered exposures of the stars appear to circle Polaris, the North Star, at Berwick Park in Pacific Grove, Calif., on Tuesday, May, 19, 2026. (Doug Duran\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

A note about light pollution: Some communities have attempted to reduce urban glare, like those by the Lick Observatory near San Jose (which transitioned to less-intense street lights) and in West Marin (which is working to create an internationally recognized \u201cDark Sky zone<\/a>\u201d). If you face a light situation in your yard akin to a bumpin\u2019 disco, you can ask your neighbors to please dim their lights or visit a friend who lives in a low-light area. Del Valle Regional Park in the Livermore hills is good, as are places in the Diablo Range<\/a> or Santa Cruz Mountains<\/a>. Even better is up north by Lake Sonoma, where many serious astronomers trek.<\/p>\n

You can also supplement your backyard stargazing with visits to Bay Area observatories, which offer darker vistas and sophisticated equipment. The Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland<\/a> has free public viewings<\/a> on weekends, for instance, run by the Eastbay Astronomical Society. There are weekly workshops for making your own telescope, and the chance to admire Chabot\u2019s equipment, including a 36-incher named \u201cNellie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Moon in a waxing-gibbous phase is shown in this image by astrophotographer Bob Schiff in Danville, Calif. (Courtesy of Bob Schiff)\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the most important thing? That\u2019s to have fun, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can show something in the sky to kids or grandkids \u2014 or get the neighbors in and share with them what\u2019s going on \u2014 what a nice community-building, family-building activity,\u201d says Fraknoi. \u201cI think that\u2019s something we desperately need more of in these times.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN \u2026
\nMID-JUNE<\/p>\n

For something different, a supernova called SN2026kid could be visible by telescope this month before it gradually fades from view. Bob Schiff<\/a>, a Danville-based astro-photographer<\/a>, actually examined the star in April with no idea that it was about to go kablooey. \u201cWhile I did not image the event itself, I was within five days of this supernova explosion,\u201d he says. \u201cOn a galactic scale of millions of light-years, that is darn close!\u201d<\/p>\n

Asteroid Day falls on June 30, on the anniversary of the extremely powerful Tunguska Event<\/a>. It\u2019s a United Nations-sanctioned day of public awareness about defending the planet from space rocks<\/a>. Thankfully, recent sky surveys have shown no threats from larger bodies. \u201cSo I wouldn\u2019t take out extra insurance on my home for asteroid destruction,\u201d says Fraknoi.<\/p>\n

JULY<\/p>\n

There are a couple of meteor showers popping off this month: the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids. Viewing conditions from California and the moon\u2019s bright phase will make them difficult to spot, however. It\u2019s probably worth waiting for next month\u2019s peak of the always jaw-dropping Perseids.<\/p>\n

\"RaymondRaymond Howard, left, outreach coordinator for the Eastbay Astronomical Society, and Gerald McKeegan, volunteer and adjunct astronomer, use a laser pointer to show Jupiter to visitors by Howard\u2019s telescope at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 8, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

While you wait, how about getting some quality time with the Moon? Our nearest celestial neighbor is the perfect starting point for backyard astronomers desiring to see a celestial object \u201cup close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, a pair of 8x 42mm or 10x 50mm (10 times magnification power, 50mm objective-lens diameter) binoculars will enable you to explore the moon\u2019s impact craters, mountain ranges and basins,\u201d Schiff says.<\/p>\n

Another neat diversion is using the naked eye to spot the International Space Station as it whizzes by overhead. NASA provides a mobile app that gives its location and timing (nasa.gov\/spot-the-station<\/a>), and from there you can get about 5 minutes of tracking its path.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looks like a very bright star moving across the sky, and it\u2019s always fun to point out to kids,\u201d Howard says. \u201c\u2019There goes the space station! Russians and Americans, getting along!\u2019 That kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GeraldGerald McKeegan, a Chabot Space & Science Center volunteer, adjunct astronomer and Eastbay Astronomical Society member, shows “Rachel,” one of three telescopes open to the public at the center in Oakland, Calif., Friday, May 8, 2026. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0
\nAUGUST<\/p>\n

The Perseids are one of the most reliably impressive meteor showers, and this year will peak overnight from August 12-13 (though they will be visible for days on either side of that window). The shower is expected to be especially good this year, thanks to blackened skies from a new Moon.<\/p>\n

Make your viewing spots as dark as possible \u2013 no lights on in the house! \u2014 then ditch the telescope and enjoy this cosmic gift with your eyes. Ponder that the beautiful, streaking fireballs you\u2019ll hopefully catch are actually just sky garbage, streaking off the 16 mile-wide comet Swift\u2013Tuttle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis comet sheds material as it gets near the sun. Its ice evaporates and dust and dirt are left behind, very much like that character Pig-Pen in the Peanuts cartoons,\u201d Fraknoi explains. \u201cThe dust and dirt burns up in the earth\u2019s atmosphere, and then makes these flashes of light that we call shooting stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51a) is pictured in this image taken by astrophotographer Bob Schiff in Danville, Calif. (Courtesy of Bob Schiff)\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the night of Aug. 27-28, an almost-total lunar eclipse will occur as the Earth\u2019s shadow covers the Moon. The maximum eclipse occurs at 9:12 p.m. PT when only a little sliver will be bright, the rest tinted blood-red due to atmospheric optics. Every backyard astronomer should be able to see it without any special equipment (if the weather cooperates).<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got your kids or grandkids, one of the most amazing things you can point out to them is the shape of the Earth\u2019s shadow as it slowly moves across the Moon,\u201d Fraknoi says. \u201cThe shape is clearly round. So despite what some very famous basketball players say, the Earth is not flat.\u201d<\/p>\n

In August, there\u2019s also a comet that should be visible with small telescopes. Comet Tempel 1 comes around about every 5 years, and people should look for it when it\u2019s very dark (say, around 11 p.m.) as it crosses various constellations.<\/p>\n

SEPTEMBER<\/p>\n

From August through September, we will be facing the central part of the Milky Way, the brightest region that\u2019s easiest to see and is full of intriguing sky targets. Find dark skies and point your telescope toward the Milky Way to view the Lagoon Nebula<\/a> \u2013 a star-forming region in the constellation Sagittarius, like a stellar nursery.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlobular cluster M13<\/a> is also an excellent target,\u201d Howard says. \u201cAnd there\u2019s also the Ring Nebula, which is caused by a dying star expelling an envelope of gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

During this same period, people who stay up late will have a new and improved view of Saturn\u2019s rings. \u201cLast year they were almost invisible, because they were edge-on to us or horizontal. They\u2019re going to look better this year because they\u2019re opening up more,\u201d explains Howard.<\/p>\n

Adds Fraknoi: \u201cIf you look through a modest telescope at the rings of Saturn, you\u2019ll get your socks knocked off.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the world seems out of control, sometimes there\u2019s nothing more reassuring than going out into the backyard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-384965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}