See A Full ‘Buck Moon’ And ‘Shooting Stars:’ The Night Sky This Week - Forbes

What the report says

Forbes reports that the final week of July 2026 will bring several skywatching highlights for North America and other mid-northern latitudes, led by July’s full “Buck Moon” and active summer meteor showers. The article, by Forbes contributor Jamie Carter, says the full moon occurs Wednesday, July 29, at 10:37 a.m. EDT, with the most dramatic viewing expected around local moonrise shortly after sunset, when it appears low in the southeast.

The week also includes the Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers, which Forbes says peak overnight from Friday, July 31, into Saturday, Aug. 1. Citing the American Meteor Society, the article lists expected rates of about 25 meteors per hour for the Delta Aquariids and about five per hour for the Alpha Capricornids, though bright moonlight may reduce visibility. Forbes notes that brighter meteors can still be seen by facing away from the moon and using a building or tree to block glare when possible.

Other events mentioned include Comet 10P/Tempel 2 appearing near the M30 globular cluster on July 29, with better prospects from the Southern Hemisphere, and Mercury reaching greatest western elongation on Sunday, Aug. 2, making it briefly visible before sunrise. Forbes also places the week in a broader observing season, noting that the Perseid meteor shower is ongoing.

For context, Forbes says the Buck Moon comes two weeks before an Aug. 12 total solar eclipse, whose path of totality is expected to cross eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain, with partial phases visible more widely. The article advises using location-specific tools such as Stellarium for precise local times.