In 2026, the night sky promises to be a spectacle for astronomy enthusiasts, featuring brilliant full moons, stunning meteor showers, and captivating total eclipses.
The celestial showcase starts with the full wolf moon on a Saturday, marking the first of three supermoons slated for the year. As reported by EarthSky, the massive Jupiter will be visible near this luminous moon.
Supermoons, known for their increased brightness and size due to their closeness to Earth, might overshadow the Quadrantid meteor shower, hindering its visibility.
This meteor shower is set to reach its peak between 4 and 7 p.m. ET on that Saturday, coinciding with the full moon’s dominance in the night sky.
However, Robert Lunsford, a fireball report coordinator with the American Meteor Society, assures that 2026 will offer numerous other meteor showers and astronomical events to anticipate.
Supermoons and full moons
Most years see 12 full moons with one occurring each month. But in 2026, there will be 13, with two in May.
The second full moon in a month is known as a blue moon – like the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
Typically, full moons happen every 29 days, while most months in our calendar last 30 or 31 days, so the months and moon phases don’t exactly align – resulting in a blue moon about every 2 years.
After January’s supermoon, the next two supermoons will be in November and December. On average, the moon is about 238,900 miles (384,472 kilometers) from Earth. But December’s supermoon will be the closest of the year at 221,667 miles (356,740 kilometers) away, according to EarthSky.
Here are the rest of the full moons in 2026, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:
February 1: Snow moon
March 3: Worm moon
April 1: Pink moon
May 1: Flower moon
May 31: Blue moon
June 29: Strawberry moon
July 29: Buck moon
August 28: Sturgeon moon
September 26: Harvest moon
October 26: Hunter’s moon
November 24: Beaver moon
December 23: Cold moon
Meteor showers
After the peak of the Quadrantids in early January, sky-gazers will have to wait a bit until the Lyrid meteor shower in April.
Here are the dates for the rest of the meteor showers peaking in 2026, according to the American Meteor Society.
Lyrids: April 21-22
Eta Aquariids: May 5-6
Southern Delta Aquariids: July 30-31
Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31
Perseids: August 12-13
Orionids: October 21-22
Southern Taurids: November 4-5
Northern Taurids: November 11-12
Leonids: November 16-17
Geminids: December 13-14
Ursids: December 21-22
“The Perseids and the Geminids will be the best showers of the year,” Lunsford said. “The Perseids are predicted to peak with no lunar interference.”
The Geminids produced a powerful shower in 2025 with hourly meteor rates as high as 135, Lunsford noted.
“There is no reason why we could not expect similar rates in 2026 once the moon sets.”
Solar eclipses
Sky-gazers can look forward to the dramatic appearances of two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses this year, according to NASA.
An annular solar eclipse will occur on February 17 over Antarctica. The phenomenon happens each year when the moon is near or at the farthest point in its orbit from Earth as it passes between Earth and the sun. As a result, the moon can’t completely block the sun as it does during a total solar eclipse, and instead the sun’s fiery light surrounds the moon’s shadow, creating a ring of fire effect. Meanwhile, a crescent-shaped partial solar eclipse will be visible in Antarctica, Africa and South America.
Be sure to wear proper eclipse glasses to view solar eclipses safely as the sun’s light can be damaging to the eyes.
A total solar eclipse will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and part of Portugal on August 12. A partial eclipse will occur for those watching in Europe, Africa and North America.
Lunar eclipses
A total lunar eclipse will appear in the night sky for those in Asia, Australia, the Pacific Islands and the Americas on March 3.
A lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon when the sun, Earth and moon align and the moon passes into Earth’s shadow. When this happens, Earth casts two shadows on the moon. The partial outer shadow is called the penumbra; the full, dark shadow is the umbra.
When the full moon moves into Earth’s shadow, it darkens, but it doesn’t disappear. Instead, sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere lights the moon in a dramatic fashion, turning it red – which is why the event is often referred to as a “blood moon.”
This phenomenon happens because blue light undergoes stronger atmospheric scattering than red light, and as a result, red is the most dominant color as sunlight passes through our atmosphere and casts light on the moon. Depending on the weather conditions in your area, the moon may appear rusty or brick-colored red.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible for those in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia between August 27 to 28. Partial eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon don’t completely align, so only part of the moon passes into shadow.
Check Time and Date’s website to see the exact timing and locations for these eclipses.
Planet parades and appearances
February will host a parade of six planets visible in the night sky.
Saturn will be close to the horizon, while Venus and Mercury will appear to rise above the setting sun, according to EarthSky. Neptune will also appear next to Saturn, but the distant ice giant will only be visible through a telescope or binoculars.
Meanwhile, Uranus will be visible near the moon on February 23 – again, with the help of binoculars or a telescope. Luminous Jupiter will also be visible for sky-gazers looking east in the early evening. The moon and Jupiter will be close together on February 26.
On May 19 after sunset, the crescent moon will gleam between Jupiter and Venus. Then, during the first week of June, Jupiter and Venus will appear side by side due to the positions of their orbits despite the planets not being close neighbors in space. In the early evenings of June 8 and 9, Venus and Jupiter will appear to swap spots in the night sky, creating the optical illusion of a double planet, according to EarthSky.
Just over a week later, Venus will appear above the waxing crescent moon, and below it, Jupiter and Mercury will be visible.
Another celestial optical illusion that will delight sky-gazers is Jupiter’s disappearing act in the fall. In the early morning hours of October 6, the crescent moon and Jupiter will appear so close together that for those viewing in North America from east of St. Louis, the moon will seem to temporarily hide Jupiter for about an hour before it reappears on the other side.
In the predawn hours of November 16, the red glow of Mars will appear close to Jupiter in the eastern sky. And on the morning of December 4, the crescent moon will pair with bright Venus, while Jupiter and Mars will form another scintillating duo.
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