Astro Events

Wolf Moon Supermoon

First of three 2026 supermoons. Full moon at perigee appears ~7% larger and ~14% brighter than average. Coincides with Earth's perihelion the same day. Naked-eye, best at moonrise when low on horizon for the size illusion.

Earth at Perihelion

Closest approach to Sun for the year: 91,403,637 mi (147.1M km). About 3% closer than July aphelion; Sun's apparent disk ~3.4% larger. Counterintuitive given Northern winter — proof that axial tilt, not distance, drives seasons.

Quadrantids Meteor Shower peak

ZHR up to 120/hr, but very sharp (~6 hr) peak. Radiant in northern Boötes, best from mid-northern latitudes. Full moon ruins it in 2026 — only the brightest meteors and fireballs survive. From extinct comet 2003 EH1.

Jupiter at Opposition

Magnitude –2.7 in Gemini, brightest of the year. Rises east at sunset, climbs high before midnight, sets west at dawn. Small scope reveals two equatorial belts, Great Red Spot, and the four Galilean moons.

Snow Moon

Year's smallest full moon so far (apogee proximity). High in the winter sky for Northern observers, ideal for crater detail along the terminator with binoculars.

Annular Solar Eclipse

"Ring of fire" with 2 min 21 sec annularity, but path covers only Antarctica. Partial visible from southern Africa and southern South America. Not visible from most of the world.

Six-Planet Parade

Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune arc along the ecliptic. Realistically 4 visible naked-eye (Venus, Jupiter dazzling; Mercury, Saturn marginal). Uranus and Neptune need binoculars. Needs unobstructed western horizon.

Worm Moon Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)

Full moon turns deep red as it enters Earth's umbra; totality 58 min. Last total lunar eclipse anywhere on Earth until New Year's Eve 2028. Visible from western North America, Pacific, Australia, East Asia.

Spring Equinox

Sun crosses celestial equator south-to-north. Day and night roughly equal worldwide; sun rises due east, sets due west. Astronomical start of Northern spring (Southern autumn).

Artemis II Launch

First crewed flight beyond LEO since Apollo 17 in 1972. SLS rocket from Kennedy LC-39B; Orion spacecraft "Integrity" carries Wiseman, Glover, Koch, Hansen on a 10-day free-return trajectory around the Moon.

Pink Moon (Egg Moon)

April full moon. Name from herb moss pink (*Phlox subulata*), not the moon's color. Rises mid-evening, sets mid-morning.

Artemis II Lunar Flyby

Crew passes 4,070 mi from lunar surface and reaches 252,760 mi from Earth — surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record by 4,105 mi. The farthest humans have ever traveled.

Artemis II Splashdown

Pacific Ocean off San Diego. Validates Orion heat shield, life support, and recovery operations ahead of Artemis III lunar landing. Mission duration: ~10 days, 695,000 miles total travel.

Lyrid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 18 (occasional outbursts to 90). Medium-strength shower from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher (415-yr orbit). Radiant rises before midnight, highest at dawn. First quarter moon sets shortly after midnight — dark skies after that. Oldest recorded shower (687 BCE).

Flower Moon (Micromoon)

First full moon of May; near apogee, so ~14% smaller and ~30% dimmer than a supermoon. In Libra.

Asteroid Vesta at Opposition

Magnitude 5.7 in Libra, the brightest asteroid this year (visible naked-eye in dark skies, easy in binoculars). Vesta is a surviving protoplanet with an iron core — HED meteorites on Earth are confirmed pieces of it.

Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR up to 50, but ~4 days after full moon ruins viewing in 2026. Halley's Comet debris (its second annual shower; the other is the Orionids). Radiant low for Northern Hemisphere — much better from Southern Hemisphere.

Blue Moon (Micromoon)

Calendrical Blue Moon (second full moon in a calendar month). Also the smallest full moon of 2026 — at apogee. Next monthly Blue Moon: Dec 31, 2028.

Venus–Jupiter Conjunction

~1.5° apart in Gemini (a thumb-width at arm's length). Venus mag –4.0, Jupiter mag –1.8 — the two brightest planets pairing up. Visible WNW for ~1 hour after sunset; needs clear horizon.

Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

24.5° from Sun, best evening visibility of 2026 in Gemini. Joins Venus and Jupiter in a tight arc within ~10° of sky — rare 3-planet evening lineup.

Moon occults Venus

The waxing crescent passes in front of Venus (mag –4). Disappearance/reappearance times vary by observer location; precise local circumstances need a per-site calculation.

Summer Solstice

Sun reaches Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N), longest day in Northern Hemisphere, shortest in Southern. Northern observers see sun rise NE and set NW; Sun's noon altitude at maximum for the year.

Mars near Pleiades (M45)

Reddish Mars (mag 1.3) ~4° from the Seven Sisters cluster (mag 1.2) in Taurus. Naked-eye visible; gorgeous in binoculars.

Strawberry Moon (Micromoon)

June full moon at apogee; smallest of 2026's three micromoons. Sits low in the sky for Northern observers, high in the south for Southern Hemisphere (Sun-opposite, near solstice).

Earth at Aphelion

Farthest from Sun: 94,502,962 mi (152.1M km). About 3 million miles farther than perihelion. Earth's orbital speed at minimum (~29.3 km/s); makes Northern summer ~5 days longer than winter.

Buck Moon (Thunder Moon)

Named for the time when male deer regrow antlers. Sits low in the sky for Northern observers — summer full moons are always low at Northern mid-latitudes.

Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 25; faint meteors from comet 96P/Machholz. 98% full moon makes 2026 a poor year. Radiant low from northern latitudes — better from southern tropics.

Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

19.5° from Sun, morning sky in Gemini. Best chance to spot Mercury before sunrise; needs unobstructed eastern horizon.

Total Solar Eclipse

Year's headline event. Path of totality: Greenland → Iceland → northern Spain. Deep partial across most of Europe; small partial across northeastern North America. Max duration 2m 18s near Iceland. First continental European totality since 1999.

Perseid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 100, the year's best meteor night. New moon = perfectly dark skies. Bright, fast meteors from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, often leaving persistent trains. Radiant rises NE in mid-evening, highest before dawn. Same night as the solar eclipse — eclipse-and-meteor double feature.

Venus at Greatest Eastern Elongation

45.9° from Sun, magnitude –4.4 in Virgo. Best evening visibility of Venus in 2026. A 10%-illuminated crescent moon nearby = photogenic pairing.

Sturgeon Moon Partial Lunar Eclipse

Deep 96.2% partial — moon enters umbra and turns mostly red, with a 4% rim staying bright. Visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Western Asia. Last lunar eclipse for over 2 years.

Moon occults Venus

Second of two 2026 lunar occultations of Venus. The waxing crescent moon passes in front of Venus near sunset; visibility depends on location.

Autumn Equinox

Sun crosses celestial equator north-to-south. Astronomical start of Northern fall (Southern spring). Days shorten rapidly in Northern Hemisphere afterward.

Neptune at Opposition

Magnitude 7.8 in Pisces, distance 28.9 AU, disk only 2.4″ across. Telescope-only target; binoculars show it as a faint bluish-gray "star."

Harvest Moon (Corn Moon)

Closest full moon to autumn equinox. Rises shortly after sunset for several nights in a row — historically gave farmers extra evening light to harvest by.

Saturn at Opposition

Magnitude 0.3 in Cetus, distance 1.26B km. Disk 19.7″ across; rings tilted –7.5° south, recovering from 2025 ring-plane crossing. Visible all night, highest near midnight. Small telescope shows rings; 4″ scope reveals Cassini Division.

Moon occults Jupiter

Waning crescent passes in front of Jupiter. Best from eastern North America; not visible from most other regions.

Orionid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 20; fast meteors from comet 1P/Halley (Halley's second annual shower with the Eta Aquariids). 80% gibbous moon interferes; best after moonset in pre-dawn hours. Radiant rises in mid-evening near Betelgeuse.

Hunter's Moon

October full moon. Like the Harvest Moon, rises near sunset for several nights — traditionally gave hunters extra light to track game.

Moon–Mars–Jupiter–Regulus grouping

Waning last-quarter moon passes Mars, Jupiter, and the bright star Regulus, lined up in Leo in pre-dawn sky. Photogenic 4-object alignment.

Moon–Venus–Spica grouping

Waning crescent moon, Venus (mag –3.9), and Spica all within ~2.5° low in the east-southeast before sunrise.

Leonid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 15 from comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. Famous for ~33-year storms (last in 2002); next storm not expected until 2099. ~45% moon interferes moderately. Radiant rises around midnight.

Beaver Moon Supermoon

Second of three 2026 supermoons. ~6.5% larger and ~13.5% brighter than average. Sits in Taurus near the Pleiades and Aldebaran — moonlight will wash out the cluster, but it's a striking grouping in binoculars.

Uranus at Opposition

Magnitude 5.6 in Taurus near the Pleiades, distance 18.4 AU. At threshold of naked-eye visibility under truly dark skies; easy in binoculars; 4″ disc in telescopes. Visible all night.

Venus at peak brightness (morning sky) — Magnitude –4.6, the brightest "star" in the predawn east before sunrise. Easy naked-eye even from light-polluted urban skies.

Moon–Mars–Jupiter–Regulus grouping (again)

Now a waning gibbous moon revisits the Mars/Jupiter/Regulus lineup in Leo, high in pre-dawn sky. The Moon's orbital cycle returns it to the same area roughly monthly.

Geminid Meteor Shower peak

ZHR 120–150, the year's strongest shower along with the Perseids. Bright, sometimes colorful meteors from asteroid 3200 Phaethon (rare asteroid-derived shower). Visible all night since Gemini rises early in winter. Waxing crescent moon sets early — dark skies all night.

Winter Solstice

Sun reaches Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S), shortest day in Northern Hemisphere, longest in Southern. Northern Sun noon altitude at minimum for the year.

Cold Moon Supermoon (Christmas Eve Supermoon)

Closest full moon to Earth since 2019: 221,668 mi / 356,740 km. ~8% larger and ~16% brighter than average — biggest supermoon in nearly 8 years. Last December 24 full moon was 1996. High in the sky for Northern observers near peak winter darkness.