Solar eclipse, meteor shower to be visible on August 12. Here's how to watch in Massachusetts.

We have one of the most fascinating astronomical days of the entire year coming up on August 12. How about a solar eclipse and a meteor shower visible on the same day in Massachusetts?

First things first: Unfortunately, this will not be a repeat of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse. In fact, the path of totality does not cross anywhere in the United States this time around.

In order to get that special, tingly feeling of a total solar eclipse on August 12, you will need to travel to Iceland or Spain.

Solar eclipse

Now, for a bit of good news: The northeastern United States will still get to see a partial solar eclipse next Wednesday afternoon.

At its maximum, between 10% and 30% of the sun will be covered by the moon as seen from various locations in New England.

The greatest coverage will be across the state of Maine.

In Boston, the partial eclipse begins just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and ends just under two hours later at 2:46 p.m.

The maximum will occur at 1:55 p.m., when 16% of the sun will be obscured by the moon.

This is nowhere near close enough for you to notice that anything is going on unless you have special glasses to view the eclipse.  You will not notice any changes in light/darkness.

If you want to take a peek, be sure to get the proper eyewear, glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 certification. You can easily find these online.

August meteor shower

Later that evening, the yearly Perseid meteor shower arrives.

This is known as one of the best shows of the year with as many as 50 to 100 "shooting stars" per hour.

While it is a bit early for a cloud cover forecast that night, what we do know is that there will be a new moon that day. This is ideal for meteor showers due to the lack of moonlight, which can wash out an otherwise good show.

As always, for ideal viewing, we recommend finding an area with a large view of the open sky, unobstructed by buildings or trees.

Also, find the darkest area possible, void of any artificial light.

We will keep you updated on the weather/sky forecast as we get closer to both events.