Note: The dates and times provided below are for Phoenix, Arizona. You may need to make appropriate time adjustments based on where you live.
Events Intro
The tables below is a list of astronomical events for this year. The following columns listed are:
- Date – The Date and day of the event.
- Event – The title of the event.
- Images – If an icon or icons are present in this column selecting the icon will open a new tab in your browser with detail images of the event.
- Equipment – List of equipment that would be appropriate for observing the event. This equipment includes:
- Visual – Naked eye observing of the event.
- Binoculars – A good pair of binoculars.
- Telescope – This event requires higher magnification to view and so would require a telescope.
- References – When selecting a number in the References column a new tab will be open in your browser where you can find more information on the event.
- Comments – Additional information on the event.
2026 Astronomical Events (PDF) – Astronomical Events for the year in a printable PDF document.
11 – November 2025
12 – December 2025
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | References | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025.12.03 (Wed) | Moon in Pleiades (M-45) | 1 | Visual Binoculars | Time=17:51 – 20:08 | Alt=19° – 46° | |
| 2025.12.04 (Thu) | Full Moon | Visual | Cold Moon (Supermoon) | ||
| 2025.12.07 (Sun) | Mercury AM sighting | 1 | Visual Binoculars | Greatest Western Elongation. Best chance to see in the morning sky | |
| 2025.12.19 (Fri) | New Moon | N/A | |||
| 2025.12.22 (Mon) | Ursids (5) | Visual | Best viewed on Monday morning peaking at 5-10 MPH |
01 – January 2026
02 – February 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.02.01 (Sun) | Full Moon | Visual | Snow Moon | |
| 2026.02.17 (Tue) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.02.19 (Thu) | Mercury Greatest Elongation (PM) | Visual Binoculars | Since Mercury is so close to the sun it is generally difficult to spot in the sky. However, on this morning, it will appear 16° above the western horizon just after sunset. |
03 – March 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.03.03 (Tue) | Full Moon | Visual | Worm Moon, Blood Moon | |
| 2026.03.03 (Tue) | Total Lunar Eclipse | 1,2,3, 4 | Visual Binoculars | Eclipse Start: 02:51am | Alt=48° | Eclipse Max Start: 04:04 am | Alt=34° | Eclipse Max End: 05:04 am | Alt=21° | Eclipse End: 06:17 am | Alt=07° | |
| 2026.03.08 (Sun) | Begin Daylight Savings (+1hr) | N/A | Set Clocks forward one hour (Not for Arizona residents) | |
| 2026.03.18 (Wed) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.03.20 (Fri) | March Equinox | N/A | Night and day of equal length |
04 – April 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.04.01 (Wed) | Full Moon | Visual | Pink Moon | |
| 2026.04.17 (Fri) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.04.22 (Wed) | Lyrids Meteor Shower (20) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 20 MPH | Active Period: 04/16 – 04/25 | The moon will only be 29% illuminated and sets just about midnight on the 21st, so should not be a factor in the morning hours. Tracing meteor trails from this shower should appear to originate from the Lyra constellation. |
05 – May 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.05.01 (Fri) | Full Moon | Visual | Flower Moon | |
| 2026.05.06 (Tue) | Eta Aquarids Shower (60) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 60 MPH | Active Period: 04-19 – 05/28 | Usually one of the better meteor showers of the year, however this year the Moon will rise about midnight on the 5th and be 82% illuminated, so expect a poor showing for this year. Tracing meter trails from this shower should appear to originate from the Aquarius constellation. | |
| 2026.05.16 (Sat) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.05.31 (Sun) | Full Moon | Visual | Blue Moon |
06 – June 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.06.14 (Sun) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.06.15 (Mon) | Mercury Greatest Elongation (PM) | Visual | Since Mercury is so close to the sun it is generally difficult to spot in the sky. However, on this morning, it will appear 19° above the western horizon just after sunset. | |
| 2026.06.21 (Sun) | June Solstice | N/A | Longest day, shortest night of the year | |
| 2026.06.29 (Mon) | Full Moon | Visual | Strawberry Moon |
07 – July 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.07.14 (Tue) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.07.29 (Wed) | Full Moon | Visual | Buck Moon |
08 – August 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.08.02 (Sun) | Mercury Greatest Elongation (AM) | Visual Binoculars | Since Mercury is so close to the sun it is generally difficult to spot in the sky. However, on this morning, it will appear 17° above the eastern horizon just before sunrise. | |
| 2026.08.12 (Wed) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.08.13 (Thu) | Perseids Meteor Shower (140) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 140 MPH | Active Period: 07/17 – 09/24 | The Perseids shower tends to be one of the best showers of the year peaking out at 140 meteors per hour (on average). Conditions for this year are great since the moon is near new, and will not impact seeing meteors. Tracing meteor trails should appear to originate from the Perseus constellation. | |
| 2026.08.14 (Fri) | Venus Greatest Elongation (PM) | Visual Binoculars Telescope | Venus will reach its greatest separation from the sun for 2026 this day appear 30° above the western horizon just after sunset. | |
| 2026.08.27 (Thu) | Full Moon | Visual | Sturgeon Moon | |
| 2026.08.27 (Thu) | Partial Lunar Eclipse | 1,2,3 | Visual Binoculars | This eclipse will star low on the eastern horizon but progressively be better positioned as the eclipse progresses. While this is a partial eclipse, most of the moon will be covered for this event. Eclipse Start: 19:35 | Alt=09° | Eclipse Max: 21:16 | Alt=27° | Eclipse End: 22: 51 | Alt=41° | |
09 – September 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.09.10 (Thu) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.09.23 (Wed) | Equinox | N/A | Night and day of equal length | |
| 2026.09.25 (Fri) | Neptune at Opposition | Telescope | This month is the best time to try to locate Neptune in your telescope. | |
| 2026.09.26 (Sat) | Full Moon | Visual | Harvest Moon |
10 – October 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.10.04 (Sun) | Saturn at Opposition | Telescope | Saturn well positioned for observations | |
| 2026.10.08 (Thu) | Draconids Meteor Shower (5*) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 5* MPH | Active Period: 10/6 – 10/10 | Draconids meteor shower typically has a low number of meteors, but can sometimes have fantastic storms/Outburst for brief periods with thousands of meteors/hour. At this point there is no good model for predicting when these storms may occur. More info at Wikipedia. Tracing meteor trails should appear to originate from the Draco constellation. | |
| 2026.10.10 (Sat) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.10.21 (Wed) | Orionids Meteor Shower (20) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 20 MPH | Active Period: 10/2 – 11/07 | While the moon is 74% illuminated, it will set about 1am on the 21st, so should not be an issue for early morning viewing. Tracing meteor trails should appear to originate from the Orion constellation. | |
| 2026.10.25 (Sun) | Full Moon | Visual | Hunter’s Moon |
11 – November 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.11.01 (Sun) | End Daylight Savings (-1hr) | N/A | Set Clocks backwards one hour. (Not Arizona) | |
| 2026.11.09 (Mon) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.11.17 (Tue) | Leonids Meteor Shower (10) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 10* MPH | Active Period: 11/14 – 11/21 | The moon is 38% illuminated and will set at 10:42pm on the 16th, so should not be a factor for early morning observations of this shower. Tracing meteor trails should appear to originate from the Leo constellation. | |
| 2026.11.20 (Fri) | Mercury Greatest Elongation (AM) | Visual Binoculars | Since Mercury is so close to the sun it is generally difficult to spot in the sky. However, on this morning, it will appear 18° above the eastern horizon just before sunrise. | |
| 2026.11.24 (Tue) | Full Moon | Visual | ||
| 2026.11.25 (Wed) | Uranus at Opposition | Telescope | This month is a good time to locate Uranus in your telescope. |
12 – December 2026
| Date | Event | Images | Equipment | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.12.08 (Tue) | New Moon | N/A | ||
| 2026.12.08 (Tue) | Jupiter Double Moon Transit | 1 | Telescope | Time: 00:50 am – 01:27 am | Alt: 27° – 34° | Europa and Io Double shadow transit from 00:50 to 01:27. Jupiter quite low in the sky for this event. |
| 2026.12.14 (Mon) | Geminids Meteor Shower (120) | Visual | | Hourly Rate: 120 MPH | Active Period: 12/07 – 12/17 | Usually one of the best showers of the year. The moon is 22% illuminated and sets at 9:32pm on the 13th, so should not be a factor for early morning observations. Tracing meteor trails should appear to originate from the Gemini constellation. | |
| 2026.12.15 (Tue) | Jupiter Double Moon Transit | 1 | Telescope | Time: 02:40 am – 04:40 am | Alt: 55° – 67° | Europa and Io Double shadow transit from 02:40 to 04:40. Jupiter is well placed for this event. |
| 2026.12.21 (Mon) | December Solstice | N/A | Shortest day, longest night of the year | |
| 2026.12.22 (Tue) | Jupiter Double Moon Transit | 1 | Telescope | Time: 04:34 am – 06:41 am | Alt: 69° – 51° | Europa and Io Double shadow transit from 04:34 to 06:41. Jupiter is well placed for this event. |
| 2026.12.23 (Wed) | Full Moon | Visual | Cold Moon | Supermoon | |
| 2026.12.23 (Wed) | Jupiter Double Moon Transit | 1 | Telescope | Time: 23:03 am – 01:08 am | Alt: 18° – 44° | Ganymede and Io Double shadow transit from 23:03 to 01:08. Jupiter starts low on the horizon but becomes better positioned as time passes for this event. |
| 2026.12.31 (Thu) | Jupiter Double Moon Transit | 1 | Telescope | Time: 01:27 am – 03:15 am | Alt: 53° – 69° | Ganymede and Io Double shadow transit from 01:27 to 03:15. Jupiter is well positioned for this event. |