Milky Way to remain visible in August across US. Here's when, how to see our galaxy
But the month isn't over yet. And now, add to the mix one of the last best opportunities to see the Milky Way. The center of our galaxy is teeming with billions of stars that routinely become bright and vibrant at certain times of the year – if you're in the right place at the right time.
As summer nears its end, so, too, does the "Milky Way season" in the United States. Fortunately, stargazers still have a chance to glimpse the galaxy's iconic band of hazy light as it arcs across the night sky.
The best part? You don't need fancy telescopes or equipment to view it − just your eyes, dark skies and maybe a camera, if you're into astral photography.
Here's everything to know about our Milky Way, including how to see the stunning natural phenomenon.
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What is the Milky Way galaxy?
The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. Because it appears as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central region, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy.
Our planet sits along one of the galaxy's spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA.
The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood called the Local Group that includes more than 50 other galaxies. Those galaxies can be as "small" as a dwarf galaxy, with up to only a few billion stars, or as large as Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor.
Why is it called the Milky Way?
The Milky Way got its name because from our perspective on Earth, it appears as a faint, milky band of light stretching across the sky.
Is the Milky Way visible from Earth?
Though the Milky Way is generally always visible from Earth, certain times of year are better for stargazers to catch a glimpse of the band of billions of stars.
"Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to the Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas.
But because visibility from Earth depends on the latitude, the further south you go, the longer the Milky Way season will last. In the Northern Hemisphere, which includes the continental United States, the best time to see the Milky Way is generally from March to September, according to Capture the Atlas.
What you're looking at when the Milky Way is visible is the bright center of our galaxy, "seen edge-on from our position within the galaxy's disk," Preston Dyches, who hosts NASA's "What's Up," a monthly video series that describes what's happening in the night sky, wrote in June for NASA.
When can you see the Milky Way in August 2025?
The center of the Milky Way, which Dyches refers to as "the core," became visible in June and is expected to shine every night through August as it gets higher in a darker sky.
Typically, the sky is darkest from about midnight to 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. You can check sunrise and sunset times at your location using the website TimeAndDate.
"This doesn't mean that as soon as the sun goes down you can see the Milky Way," writes Dan Zafra, co-founder of Capture the Atlas. "Even if it's in the sky, the Milky Way will be barely visible during blue hour, so you'll have to wait at least until the end of the astronomical twilight to see all the details of the Milky Way."
From June to August, the Milky Way will be diagonal at the beginning of the night, vertical during the middle of the night, and low above the horizon at the end of the night, according to Capture the Atlas.
How can you see the Milky Way? Here are some tips
Stargazers can observe the Milky Way by looking for the Summer Triangle, a shape formed by three bright stars that spans across the Milky Way, according to science news website LiveScience.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to Weather.com.
Spectators will have the best luck on cloud-free nights and away from city light pollution. DarkSky International maintains a website that lists all designated dark sky communities around the world, including 159 locations in the United States.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Center of Milky Way will be visible in August. How to see it in US
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