Astronomy Calendar
Meteor showers, eclipses, moon phases, equinoxes and solstices (all dates UTC).
Upcoming highlights
| Date (UTC) | Event | Where visible | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-12-21 | December solstice Shortest day in the north, longest in the south. |
Worldwide | Computed (UTC date) |
| 2027-02-06 | Annular solar eclipse A 'ring of fire' eclipse — the Moon too far to fully cover the Sun. |
Path over the southern Pacific, Chile, Argentina, Atlantic; partial across South America & West Africa | NASA eclipse catalog |
| 2027-03-20 | March equinox Spring begins in the north, autumn in the south. |
Worldwide | Computed (UTC date) |
| 2027-06-21 | June solstice Longest day in the north, shortest in the south. |
Worldwide | Computed (UTC date) |
| 2027-08-02 | Total solar eclipse — the long one One of the century's great eclipses: totality up to 6 minutes 23 seconds — near the theoretical maximum. |
Path across southern Spain, northern Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia/Libya, Egypt (Luxor), Saudi Arabia, Yemen; partial across Europe, Africa, Middle East | NASA eclipse catalog |
| 2027-09-23 | September equinox Equal day and night worldwide. |
Worldwide | Computed (UTC date) |
| 2027-12-22 | December solstice Shortest day in the north, longest in the south. |
Worldwide | Computed (UTC date) |
| 2028-01-12 | Partial lunar eclipse A shallow pass through Earth's shadow. |
Americas, Europe, Africa | NASA eclipse catalog |
| 2028-01-26 | Annular solar eclipse Ring-of-fire eclipse. |
Path over Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Atlantic, Portugal, Spain; partial across the Americas & western Europe | NASA eclipse catalog |
| 2028-07-22 | Total solar eclipse Totality up to 5 minutes 10 seconds, crossing Australia — including directly over Sydney. |
Path across northwest & southeast Australia (Sydney) and New Zealand's South Island | NASA eclipse catalog |
| 2028-12-31 | Total lunar eclipse A New Year's Eve blood moon. |
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia | NASA eclipse catalog |
Moon phases for the next few months
New MoonOct 11
Full MoonOct 26
New MoonNov 09
Full MoonNov 24
New MoonDec 09
Full MoonDec 24
New MoonJan 07
Full MoonJan 22
New MoonFeb 06
Full MoonFeb 21
Computed from the mean lunar cycle and accurate to a few hours.
The year in meteor showers
Geminidspeaks Dec 13–14
up to 150/hour · Asteroid 3200 Phaethon
Meteor shower
Quadrantidspeaks Jan 3–4
up to 120/hour · Asteroid 2003 EH1 (extinct comet)
Perseidspeaks Aug 12–13
up to 100/hour · Comet Swift–Tuttle
Eta Aquariidspeaks May 5–6
up to 50/hour · Halley's Comet
| Shower | Peak | Active | Ideal rate/hr* | Parent body | Best from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quadrantids | Jan 3–4 | Dec 28 – Jan 12 | 120 | Asteroid 2003 EH1 (extinct comet) | Northern |
| Lyrids | Apr 22–23 | Apr 14–30 | 18 | Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1) | Northern |
| Eta Aquariids | May 5–6 | Apr 19 – May 28 | 50 | Halley's Comet | Southern (good for both) |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | Jul 29–30 | Jul 12 – Aug 23 | 25 | Comet 96P/Machholz (probable) | Southern |
| Perseids | Aug 12–13 | Jul 17 – Aug 24 | 100 | Comet Swift–Tuttle | Northern |
| Orionids | Oct 21–22 | Oct 2 – Nov 7 | 20 | Halley's Comet | Both |
| Taurids (N & S) | Nov 5–12 | Oct – Nov (broad) | 8 | Comet Encke | Both |
| Leonids | Nov 17–18 | Nov 6–30 | 15 | Comet Tempel–Tuttle | Both |
| Geminids | Dec 13–14 | Dec 4–20 | 150 | Asteroid 3200 Phaethon | Both |
| Ursids | Dec 22–23 | Dec 17–26 | 10 | Comet 8P/Tuttle | Northern |
* ZHR: the standardized ideal-conditions rate (dark sky, radiant overhead). Real counts are usually lower; a bright Moon cuts them hard.
Recently passed
| 2026-08-28 | Partial lunar eclipse | Americas, Europe, Africa, western Asia |
| 2026-09-22 | September equinox | Worldwide |
How to watch any meteor shower
No equipment needed. Meteors are a naked-eye show, and telescopes actually make it worse. Find the darkest sky you can, ideally after midnight when your side of Earth faces into the stream. Lie back, let your eyes adapt for 20 minutes (no phone screens), and watch as much sky as possible. Meteors can appear anywhere (the radiant is just the point their paths trace back to). And check the Moon: a bright Moon washes out faint meteors, so new-moon peaks are the best ones.