Total eclipses, supermoons, meteor showers and planetary alignments will make 2026 a historic year to look at the sky.
From a total solar eclipse visible in Europe to moonless meteor showers and intense auroras, 2026 will be a year not to be missed for sky lovers.
The 2026 astronomical calendar promises a parade of events that will turn each season into an opportunity to look upward. The year starts with a supermoon close to Jupiter and culminates with a great planetary alignment, passing through a total solar eclipse, the first visible in continental Europe since 1999, and ideal conditions to see the Perseids.
January: supermoon and Jupiter at its best
On January 3, the full Moon—known as ‘wolf moon It will look larger and brighter as it approaches its perigee, accompanied by Jupiter. A week later, on January 10, the gas giant will reach opposition, offering its greatest apparent brightness and size of the year.
February and March: planetary parades and blood moon
In late February, the evening sky will gather up to six planets in an alignment visible shortly after sunset. On March 3, a total lunar eclipse It will dye the Moon in reddish tones, visible in much of America and the Pacific. That same month, the March 20 equinox could bring above-average auroras, driven by high solar activity.
June and August: conjunctions and occultations
Between June 8 and 9, Venus and Jupiter They will star in a striking conjunction at sunset, with Mercury near the horizon. On August 7, the Moon will obscure the Pleiades cluster, a phenomenon observable in large areas of North America.
You may be interested in: These are the 10 technological inventions that marked 2025
August: the great protagonist of the year
On August 12, the most anticipated event will arrive: a total solar eclipse whose strip of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. That same night, the Perseid meteor shower will peak without interference from the Moon, with up to 90 meteors per hour in dark skies.
November and December: supermoons and closing with alignment
On November 25, a new supermoon will be seen, known as the ‘beaver moonand on December 23 the closest supermoon of the year will occur, the so-called cold moon To bid farewell to 2026, an alignment of five planets—and then six before dawn—will offer a spectacular finale, especially on December 25 and 26.
Read also: When is next leap year and what does it mean?
With eclipses, supermoons, auroras and aligned planetsos, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the best years of the decade for astronomical observation, both for amateurs and experienced observers.
