Astronomical Events 2026

By Aparna Kher, Anne Buckle, Konstantin Bikos, and Graham Jones

Check out the dates and times for astronomical events like equinoxes, solstices, meteor showers, eclipses, supermoons, and more.

Jan 3: Wolf Moon

A howling lone gray wolf in snow-covered landscape.

The first Full Moon of the year is colloquially known as the Wolf Moon in many northern cultures.

Traditional Full Moon names

Jan 3: Earth at Perihelion

Diagram showing the distance between the Sun and Earth at different times of the year (perihelion and aphelion).

At around 17:15 UTC, the Earth reaches perihelion—the point on its orbit closest to the Sun.

Jan 3/4: Quadrantid Meteor Shower

The first major meteor shower of 2026, the Quadrantids, peaks on the night of January 3 and the early morning hours of January 4 (depending on your time zone).

What is a meteor shower?

Jan 10: Jupiter at Opposition

Jupiter and its moon Europa, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope on August 25, 2020

The massive planet, Jupiter, reaches the opposite side of Earth to the Sun, and is visible from sunset to sunrise.

What is opposition?

Jan 18: New Moon

Couple sitting outside their camp in the mountains under a starry night sky.

A New Moon in the sky means no moonlight to hinder your view of stars and planets. Use our Interactive Night Sky Map to find out what planets are visible tonight and where.

Feb 1: Snow Moon

February’s Full Moon is also known as the Snow Moon in many Northern Hemisphere cultures.

Feb 17: Annular Solar Eclipse

An annular solar eclipse seen from Japan in 2012.

An annular solar eclipse happens in a remote area of Antarctica. Parts of southern Africa and the southern tip of South America will see a small partial solar eclipse.

Protect your eyes. Never look directly at the Sun!

Feb 17: New Moon

Illustration of the Moon's position in space in relation to Earth and the Sun at New Moon.

Take advantage of the New Moon to check out the skies with our Interactive Night Sky Map, weather permitting, of course.

Feb 19: Mercury at Greatest Elongation East

This might be a good time to try and spot Mercury: The planet appears at its farthest distance from the Sun in the evening sky.

Find Mercury with our Interactive Night Sky Map

Mar 2/3: Total Lunar Eclipse

This is the last total lunar eclipse until the very end of 2028. Totality will be visible across parts of North and South America, Australia, and Asia.

Eclipses in your location

Mar 3: Worm Moon

The Full Moon in March is traditionally called the Worm Moon, after earthworms that tend to appear around this time in many locations in the Northern Hemisphere.

Mar 19: New Moon

Starry night sky over the mountain city in the fog

Dark nights a few days before and after the Moon reaches its New Moon phase at 01:23 UTC on March 19 are the best nights to do some night sky watching—see our map!

Mar 20: March Equinox

The March equinox is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere, by astronomical definitions.

Solstice & equinox times worldwide

Note: All dates are UTC, unless otherwise stated.

Topics: Astronomy, Eclipses, Equinox, Moon, Sun, Comets, Meteors, Solstice, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December