Meanwhile, in space

Astronomy events

Meteor showers, eclipses, planets at their best and close conjunctions, for the coming month and year. Times are UTC. Whether you can see each depends on where you are: give your place and each comes with “visible from here” or not, and a calendar you can subscribe to.

Don’t miss these

• 14 December 2026Geminids meteor shower peaks

  up to about 150 an hour in ideal skies; best from the northern hemisphere.

• 6 February 2027Annular solar eclipse

  seen from S. America, Antarctica, w & s Africa; the annular part from Chile, Argentina, Atlantic.

• 20 February 2027Penumbral lunar eclipse

  seen from Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia.

• 2 August 2027Total solar eclipse

  seen from Africa, Europe, Mid East, w & s Asia; the total part from Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia.

November 2026

• 5 Nov Southern Taurids meteor shower peaks · up to about 7 an hour in ideal skies; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 7 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: a dark, moonless peak. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 7 Nov The Moon and Venus close together · 1.0° apart. (worked out here)

  Two bright points close together, best in binoculars or with your eyes. Look in twilight or the dark, whichever side of the Sun they sit.

• 12 Nov Northern Taurids meteor shower peaks · up to about 5 an hour in ideal skies; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 5 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: a dark, moonless peak. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 16 Nov Mars and Jupiter close together · 1.2° apart. (worked out here)

  Two bright points close together, best in binoculars or with your eyes. Look in twilight or the dark, whichever side of the Sun they sit.

• 17 Nov 23:45 UTC Leonids meteor shower peaks · up to about 15 an hour in ideal skies; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 15 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: the Moon is 57% lit, so expect fewer. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 22 Nov Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower peaks · variable: anything from nothing to a burst; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. This year: a bright Moon (95% lit) drowns all but the brightest. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 25 Nov Uranus at opposition · up all night, at its biggest and brightest of the year. (worked out here)

  Up from dusk to dawn and at its closest. Binoculars show a disc; a small telescope shows more.

• 30 Nov The Moon and Jupiter close together · 1.1° apart. (worked out here)

  Two bright points close together, best in binoculars or with your eyes. Look in twilight or the dark, whichever side of the Sun they sit.

December 2026

• 2 Dec Phoenicids meteor shower peaks · variable: anything from nothing to a burst; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. This year: the Moon is 45% lit, so expect fewer. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 7 Dec Puppid-Velids meteor shower peaks · up to about 10 an hour in ideal skies; best from the southern hemisphere. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 10 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: a dark, moonless peak. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 9 Dec Sigma Hydrids meteor shower peaks · up to about 7 an hour in ideal skies; visible from both hemispheres. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 7 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: a dark, moonless peak. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 14 Dec 14:00 UTC Geminids meteor shower peaks · up to about 150 an hour in ideal skies; best from the northern hemisphere. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 150 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: the Moon is 27% lit, so expect fewer. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 22 Dec Ursids meteor shower peaks · up to about 10 an hour in ideal skies; best from the northern hemisphere. IMO 2026 calendar

  No equipment: lie back and look up, away from the Moon. Best after midnight, when the radiant is high. The quoted 10 an hour is for a perfect dark sky with the radiant overhead; from a garden expect a third of that or fewer. This year: a bright Moon (97% lit) drowns all but the brightest. The nights either side of the peak are often nearly as good.

• 27 Dec The Moon and Jupiter close together · 1.4° apart. (worked out here)

  Two bright points close together, best in binoculars or with your eyes. Look in twilight or the dark, whichever side of the Sun they sit.

February 2027

• 6 Feb 16:00 UTC Annular solar eclipse · seen from S. America, Antarctica, w & s Africa; the annular part from Chile, Argentina, Atlantic. NASA eclipse tables

  Never look at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses or a solar filter; ordinary sunglasses and unfiltered binoculars or telescopes can blind you. Whether it reaches you, and how much, depends on your place: check NASA's map.

• 20 Feb 23:14 UTC Penumbral lunar eclipse · seen from Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia. NASA eclipse tables

  Safe to watch with your eyes. A penumbral eclipse is only a faint shading of the Moon, easy to miss. You see it if the Moon is up from where you are at the time.

July 2027

• 18 Jul 16:04 UTC Penumbral lunar eclipse · seen from e Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific. NASA eclipse tables

  Safe to watch with your eyes. A penumbral eclipse is only a faint shading of the Moon, easy to miss. You see it if the Moon is up from where you are at the time.

August 2027

• 2 Aug 10:07 UTC Total solar eclipse · seen from Africa, Europe, Mid East, w & s Asia; the total part from Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia. NASA eclipse tables

  Never look at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses or a solar filter; ordinary sunglasses and unfiltered binoculars or telescopes can blind you. Whether it reaches you, and how much, depends on your place: check NASA's map.

• 17 Aug 07:14 UTC Penumbral lunar eclipse · seen from Pacific, Americas. NASA eclipse tables

  Safe to watch with your eyes. A penumbral eclipse is only a faint shading of the Moon, easy to miss. You see it if the Moon is up from where you are at the time.

Updated 18:02 UTC, 3 November 2026. Planet events are worked out for the next two months; showers and eclipses for the year. Meteor showers after 22 December 2026 aren't listed yet: IMO's calendar for the next year hasn't been entered.