15 skywatching events you won't want to miss in 2026

Skywatchers have plenty to look forward to in 2026, with a lineup of dazzling naked-eye events in the night sky throughout the year. From total solar and lunar eclipses and brilliant planetary conjunctions to iconic meteor showers peaking under moonless night skies and a festive supermoon, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

Although all of these events will be visible to the naked eye, a nice pair of binoculars and a good beginner telescope can significantly enhance your experience.

Here are 15 must-see skywatching events to mark on your calendar for 2026.

1. Jupiter at opposition: Jan. 10, 2026 (all night)

Jupiter will dominate the night sky in early 2026. In early January, the gas giant will align with Earth and the sun to reach its full phase, called opposition. This happens once every 13 months, and it's the best time to observe the giant planet. That's partly because it's the brightest it will be all year but also because it rises in the eastern sky at sunset and sinks in the west at sunrise.

2. "Blood moon" total lunar eclipse: March 2-3, 2026 (night to early morning)

During the first and only total lunar eclipse of 2026, March's full Worm Moon will pass through Earth's shadow, making it appear as a reddish-orange "blood moon" for 58 minutes. The March 2026 total lunar eclipse will be visible across western North America, Australia, New Zealand, East Asia and the Pacific. It will be the last total lunar eclipse until a rather special one on New Year's Eve 2028-2029. In North America, totality will occur on the night of March 2 or early morning hours of March 3, depending on the time zone.

Related: March 2026 total lunar eclipse: Everything you need to know about the next 'blood moon'

3. Close conjunction of the moon, the Pleiades and Venus: April 19, 2026 (after sunset)

4. Eta Aquarid meteor shower: May 5-6, 2026 (before midnight)

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower produces up to 50 meteors per hour, making it one of the most prolific meteor showers of the year and the clear highlight of spring's "shooting star" season. The last-quarter moon rising around midnight makes early evening the best time to see the Eta Aquarids (also spelled Eta Aquariids), which are caused by the debris from Halley's Comet left in the inner solar system, although the best views will be from the Southern Hemisphere.

5. Conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury: June 9, 2026 (after sunset)

The two brightest planets in the solar system, Venus and Jupiter, will shine together for a few evenings, getting as close as 1.5 degrees — about the width of a finger held at arm's length against the sky. The duo will be visible in the western sky just after sunset, with the best view on June 9. As a bonus, Mercury will make a rare appearance below the two bright planets.

6. Total solar eclipse: Aug. 12, 2026 (daytime)

The celestial highlight of the year will be the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026, which will be seen from eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. As the first total solar eclipse in mainland Europe since 1999, it is bound to be busy, especially because it falls during the European holiday season. Iceland has not seen a total solar eclipse since 1954, and Spain has not since 1906. (Spain will also see one in 2027.) The Mediterranean will be busy with cruise ships for a close-to-sunset totality, but maximum totality will occur for 2 minutes, 18 seconds off the coast of Iceland. A partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Europe, northwestern Africa, Canada, Alaska and the northeastern U.S.

Related: Total solar eclipse 2026 — Everything you need to know

7. Perseid meteor shower: Aug. 12, 2026 (night)

The Perseid meteor shower was pretty much a washout in 2025, with the peak night blighted by moonlight. Happily, the Northern Hemisphere's favorite display of "shooting stars" will fare much better in 2026. In fact, the peak night, Aug. 12-13, will occur just hours after a total solar eclipse, which, by definition, can happen only during a new moon. Eclipse chasers in Spain, in particular, could see two of astronomy's most spectacular events on the same day. About 60 to 120 Perseid meteors are expected to radiate from the constellation Perseus, but they may appear anywhere in the night sky from late night to predawn.

8. Venus as the "evening star": Aug. 15, 2026 (after sunset)

Because it's an inner planet as seen from Earth, Venus alternates between being visible before sunrise and after sunset. In 2026, it will appear as the "evening star," reaching its farthest distance from the sunset in August. After that, Venus will gradually sink in the sky; it will become half-lit by the sun in August, before reaching its brightest in late September, when it will be low on the horizon.

9. Partial lunar eclipse: Aug. 27-28, 2026 (night)

It won't quite be a "blood moon," but the August 2026 lunar eclipse is as close as it comes. It will be a very deep partial lunar eclipse, with over 96% of the moon entering Earth's shadow, although it will not become total. For observers on Earth's night side in North America, South America, parts of Europe and Africa, the chief sight will be the edge of Earth's shadow creeping across the lunar surface, and perhaps a hint of red as totality is approached but then snatched away.

10. Saturn at opposition: Oct. 4, 2026 (night)

Earth passes between Saturn and the sun once each year. At that time, the ringed planet is closer, and thus bigger and brighter, from our point of view. In 2026, that will happen in October. Look for Saturn's golden glow in the east after dark from August onward, with notable conjunctions with the moon on Sept. 27, Oct. 24, Nov. 20 and Dec. 18.

11. Close conjunction of the moon and Mars: Oct. 5, 2026 (before sunrise)

Just one day after Saturn peaks in brightness, Mars and a 32%-illuminated waning crescent moon will meet in the early-morning sky, with only about 1 degree between them. Just beneath the pair will be the beautiful Beehive Cluster (Messier 44) and Jupiter.

12. Conjunction of Jupiter and Mars: Nov. 14-15, 2026 (before sunrise on Nov. 15)

There will be plenty of opportunities to see the planets together in 2026, but this close conjunction of the fourth and fifth planets from the sun is likely to be the highlight. Mars and Jupiter will appear closest — just 1 degree apart — in the predawn sky on Nov. 15, though, to the naked eye, they'll appear very close for a few evenings before and after that. Venus and Mercury will also be on display, with the former in shining close with bright star Spica.

13. Christmas supermoon: Dec. 24, 2026 (dusk)

November 2025 may have seen the biggest full moon since 2019, but in December 2026, our natural satellite will go one step further by getting closer to Earth than at any point since 2018. The moon's orbit is elliptical, so some full moons appear bigger and brighter from Earth. These are known as supermoons, and there will be three of them in 2026 — on Jan. 3, Nov. 24 and Dec. 23. Catch them at moonrise for the full "moon illusion" effect.

14. Leonid meteor shower: Nov. 17-18, 2026 (night)

2026 should be a good year for the Leonid meteor shower, a display of particularly fast-moving "shooting stars" from Comet Tempel-Tuttle. This year, the peak coincides with a near-first-quarter moon, which means dark, moonless skies after midnight — exactly when about 15 meteors per hour are expected. The Leonids tend to storm roughly every 33 years, with the next possibility around 2032 to 2033.

15. Geminid meteor shower: Dec. 13-14, 2026 (night)

We obsess over the Perseids in August, but it's December's Geminids that bring the most "shooting stars," albeit in much colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere. Expect up to 120 bright and colorful meteors per hour under optimum conditions during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. The cause of this annual event is a mysterious asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.

Jamie Carter is the author of "Stargazing In 2026: 50 Things To See In The Night Sky From North America."