New Moon and the Perseid peak: why the night of August 13 will be one of the best for astrophotography

On the evening of August 12, the astronomical new moon will occur. At this time, the Moon will be positioned between Earth and the Sun, so its illuminated side will face away from our planet. From Earth, the satellite will be practically invisible, and the night sky will remain free of bright moonlight.

For most people, the new moon is merely another phase of the lunar calendar. However, for astronomers, photographers, and stargazing enthusiasts, these few nights create the most favorable conditions for observing faint celestial objects.

UNN explains how to do this so that you can fully enjoy the beauty of the starry sky.

In August 2026, this phase coincides with the peak of one of the best-known meteor showers—the Perseids. Thus, the night of August 12–13 may be one of the best this year for observing the "meteor shower" and photographing the Milky Way.

When the new moon will occur

According to calculations for Kyiv, the exact new moon phase will occur on August 12 at 20:36 local time. The best period for observations and photography will be after the end of evening twilight on August 12 and until dawn on August 13. There will be virtually no moonlight, although the final result will depend on cloud cover, atmospheric clarity, and the level of artificial lighting in the selected location.

How the "new moon" coincides with the peak of the Perseids and what opportunities this opens up

The Perseids are active every year in the second half of summer. In 2026, the meteor shower’s maximum is expected on the night of August 12–13. NASA calls the observing conditions particularly favorable because the peak will occur during the new moon, when natural skyglow will be minimal.

The Perseids occur when Earth passes through a stream of dust particles left by comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle. Entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, these particles heat up and burn, forming bright streaks commonly called a meteor shower.

Under ideal conditions, there may be around 100 meteors per hour. However, this is the so-called zenithal hourly rate, calculated for a completely dark sky, a high radiant position, and an unobstructed view. In real conditions, an observer usually sees fewer meteors. The reasons include cloud cover, street lighting and advertising, trees, buildings, and a limited field of view.

It is not necessary to search directly for the constellation Perseus. Meteors can appear in different parts of the sky, so it is better to choose a location with a wide view and look toward the darkest section, approximately 40–60 degrees above the horizon. The greatest activity is usually observed after midnight and before dawn, when the shower’s radiant rises higher.

Why the "new moon" is important for night photography

The main problem during astrophotography is light pollution. It may be artificial—coming from streetlights, advertising structures, industrial facilities, and residential areas—or natural, caused primarily by the bright Moon.

During a full moon, moonlight scatters in the atmosphere and illuminates the sky. As a result, it takes on a gray or pale blue tint, while faint stars, nebulae, the Milky Way’s dust clouds, and dim meteors become almost unnoticeable.

During a new moon, this source of skyglow is absent. The camera can capture weaker light signals, and the photographer obtains higher contrast between the stars and the sky. The structure of the galactic disk, dark dust lanes, star clusters, and the color variations of individual stars are rendered more clearly in photographs.

The absence of moonlight also makes it possible to use a longer exposure and higher light sensitivity. However, excessively increasing the ISO does not always improve the result: along with brightness, the amount of digital noise increases. The optimal settings depend on the specific camera, lens, air temperature, and the level of illumination at the location.

The Milky Way in the August sky

August is a convenient period for photographing the Milky Way. In the evening, its most prominent part is positioned above the southern and southwestern horizons. For successful photographs, experts recommend checking in advance the position of the galactic core for the specific location and time.

It is advisable to include not only the sky in the frame, but also a distinctive foreground: silhouettes of trees, mountains, rocks, a body of water, an old building, or a solitary road. This will help convey the scale of the sky and make the photograph compositionally complete.

Where to Watch a Meteor Shower in Ukraine

The most important condition is to walk or drive as far away as possible from bright urban lighting. Even a distance of several kilometers from dense development can noticeably improve visibility. For large cities, it is advisable to choose an area 30–40 kilometers from the center, although the specific distance depends on the size of the settlement and the direction of the light dome.

Open fields, hills, forest clearings, the shores of bodies of water, and mountainous areas are suitable for observation. Locations in the Carpathians and sparsely populated areas can be especially advantageous in this case, where artificial lighting is almost nonexistent.

The location should be inspected during the day. Make sure there are no dangerous slopes, bodies of water with steep banks, abandoned structures, or other obstacles nearby that are difficult to see in the dark. Under martial law, it is also necessary to take into account the curfew, restrictions on visiting certain areas, and air-raid alerts.

Digital light-pollution maps can be used to choose a location. They show where the night sky remains darkest; however, such maps do not take into account local cloud cover, fog, smoke, or dust in the air.

What Equipment Is Needed for Observation and Photography

To begin with, a camera or a modern smartphone with a manual mode is sufficient. The best results are achieved with DSLR and mirrorless cameras, which allow you to set the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and manual focus yourself. It is advisable to shoot in RAW format, as it preserves more information for subsequent processing.

A phone can also capture the starry sky if it has a Pro mode, a night mode for astrophotography, or the ability to save RAW files. The device must be kept stationary: handheld shooting with an exposure of several seconds will almost certainly produce a blurred frame.

Another essential item on the equipment list is a sturdy tripod. A remote shutter release, self-timer, or camera control via an app will also be useful so that pressing the button does not cause vibration.

For wide night landscapes, it is most convenient to use a fast lens with a focal length of approximately 14–24 mm. At the same time, you can also shoot with a standard kit lens if you set it to the widest available angle.

It is also worth taking spare batteries or a power bank. During long exposures and when the display is in use, the battery discharges faster.In addition, even in August it can be cool at night, so you will need warm clothing, closed-toe shoes, drinking water, and insect repellent.

Basic Camera Settings for a Successful Photo

Before starting to shoot, it is better to turn off autofocus. Switch the camera to manual mode, zoom in on the brightest star on the screen, and carefully adjust the focus until it appears as small and sharp as possible.

The aperture is usually opened as wide as possible or stopped down by one-third or two-thirds of a stop if the stars at the edges of the frame are severely distorted at the maximum aperture. An initial ISO value may be in the range of 1600 to 3200. For cameras with large sensors, ISO 6400 is sometimes used, but it is better to take several test shots and assess the noise level.

The shutter speed should be selected so that the stars remain points rather than turning into short lines due to the Earth's rotation. A guideline may be the "500 rule": divide 500 by the focal length of the lens and, if necessary, by the camera's crop factor. For example, for a full-frame camera and a 20 mm lens, the initial limit will be about 25 seconds.

However, for modern cameras with high resolution, the 500 rule often results in an exposure that is too long. It is safer to start with 10–15 seconds, enlarge the image on the screen, and check the shape of the stars. For APS-C sensors or smartphones, the permissible exposure will usually be shorter.

White balance can be set manually to approximately 3500–4500 kelvins. When shooting in RAW, the exact value can be adjusted during processing.

How to photograph the Perseids

For meteors, taking a single shot is not enough. Even during a period of high activity, it is impossible to predict in which part of the sky and at what second the next flash will appear. Therefore, it is better to set the camera to continuous or interval shooting.

A photographer can take dozens or hundreds of shots with exposure times of 10–20 seconds. Some of them will be empty, but meteor trails may appear in others. Later, the best shots can be selected or combined into a single composition if the shooting was done from a tripod without changing the camera’s position.

It is better to point the lens not directly at the Perseid radiant, but 40–60 degrees to the side of it. Near the radiant, meteor trails will appear short, whereas at a distance they may form longer and more pronounced streaks.

During shooting, it is necessary to monitor the front lens element. Condensation may form on it at night, especially near bodies of water or when the temperature drops sharply. Special lens heaters are used for long sessions, but sometimes it is enough to check the optics regularly and have a dry cloth on hand.

Under favorable conditions, the night of August 12–13 will combine an almost complete absence of moonlight, the peak of Perseid activity, and a meteor shower position favorable for Ukraine. In clear weather, the meteor shower can be observed even without a telescope or special equipment. It is enough to find a safe, dark location, allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and leave your phone in your pocket for at least a few minutes.

Recall

Earlier, UNN wrote about when, how, and where Ukrainians will be able to see the unique Leonid meteor shower.