The Sundarban
In case you’ve been waiting for a lawful year to start paying attention to the night sky, 2026 makes a robust case. There’s a supermoon in early January, plus a six-planet alignment and total lunar eclipse, all earlier than St. Patrick’s Day. The real showstopper—a mid-year total solar eclipse—will assign mainland Europe on the path of totality for the primary time since 1999. With a moonless Perseid meteor shower and extra than one planetary lineups detached ahead, the year offers no shortage of reasons to search for up. Here’s what to watch for this year.
January 3: Supermoon nears Jupiter
A supermoon kicks off the primary weekend of the brand new year in fashion. Catch the luminous paunchy moon alongside Jupiter the evening of Saturday, January 3. It appears brighter and bigger than your average moon because during a supermoon, the moon is near perigee—its closest point to Earth.
For probably the most dramatic look, watch the moon upward push around sunset. Its size doesn’t actually change, but an optical accomplish known as the moon illusion makes it appear larger when it’s low on the horizon. January’s paunchy moon is traditionally called the “wolf moon,” a name linked to wolves’ increased vocal activity during winter months.
A bald eagle sits near its nest while the large pink moon rises in the distance at Chatfield State Park in Littleton, Colorado on April 7, 2020. The primary supermoon of the brand new year will take place on January 3, 2026, also known as the “wolf moon.”
Eric Lutzens, MediaNews Community/The Denver Put up/Getty Images
January 10: Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter takes center stage mid-month as it reaches opposition on January 10—the point when Earth lies lawful between the gas giant and the solar. This alignment brings Jupiter closer to Earth than it’s been since December 2024. This can appear a puny bit brighter and larger than usual on both January 9 and 10. It obtained’t glean this valorous again except 2027.
To find it, head out around sunset and gaze eastward. It’s located in the Gemini constellation this month, and this may remain above the horizon all thru the night, forming a makeshift triangle with Sirius and Orion’s Belt.
Late February: Evening planetary alignment
The last week of February brings a six-planet alignment, also known as a planet parade, to the evening sky. Lawful after sunset, watch for Venus, Mercury, and Saturn in the west. The trio will hang low, in a tight grouping near the horizon; all three are seen to the unaided scrutinize. Nearby Neptune is also latest, but it certainly requires a telescope. Speaking of: In case you are heading out this night, wait except after the solar fully gadgets earlier than pointing optical devices toward the western horizon.
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Jupiter appears greater in the southern sky, shining shut to the moon. Uranus lies near the easily recognizable Pleiades star cluster, although spotting the ice giant would require a telescope or robust binoculars.
March 3: Total lunar eclipse
Early on the morning of March 3, a total lunar eclipse will paint the moon in eerie orange hues. It’s known as a blood moon, and while the name sounds scary, the science behind it is straightforward. As Earth moves between the solar and the moon, its shadow totally covers the lunar surface. Shorter blue wavelengths scatter in Earth’s atmosphere, while longer crimson and orange wavelengths bend thru it, giving the moon its coppery glow.
(Learn extra about the three varieties of lunar eclipse.)
The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in the sky over Wenling Metropolis in China’s Zhejiang Province. Stargazers will glean a chance to see another total lunar eclipse, known as a blood moon, in March 2026.
Xu Weijie, Xinhua/eyevine/Redux
Sky-watchers can station the total lunar eclipse across grand of North and South America, the Pacific, and large parts of Asia and Oceania. Observers in the western U.S. and Canada, the Pacific islands, and Recent Zealand will have the handiest look, with an uninterrupted start-to-finish look. These in the continental U.S. will detached see grand of the marvel, including the blood moon, but dawn will minimize part of the eclipse fast.
In case you’re looking for a lunar eclipse to watch in 2026, right here’s your point to. That said, there may be another partial lunar eclipse from August 27 to 28; it obtained’t have the paunchy blood moon accomplish, but this may appear as although a shadowed “bite” has been taken from the moon. This can be handiest considered from parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia.
March 20: Spring equinox—and above-average auroras
In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox brings extra than promises of warmer weather and longer days. The equinoxes commonly blueprint remarkable aurora displays, seemingly due to Earth’s tilt. Pair this timing with the already heightened lights activity from the solar’s 11-year activity peak from 2024 to 2025—which is able to continue to bring robust sightings in 2026—and lets see exceptional displays in late spring.
(Learn extra about the science of the northern lights.)
Even better: March is a smart time to chase the aurora in Alaska, as clearer nights and an activity uptick mean grand extra frequent lights observations.
The ethereal streaks of an aurora seen near Fairbanks, Alaska, in March 2025. The solar’s greater-than-normal activity will bring grand extra awe-inspiring auroras in 2026.
Marc Rassel (Top) (Left) and Marc Rassel (Bottom) (Lawful)
June 8-9: Venus-Jupiter conjunction
On the evenings of June 8 and 9, Venus and Jupiter will appear moral over 1 diploma, or a pinky finger’s distance, from each diversified above the western horizon.
