Meteor Shower
Quadrantids 2026
Peak January 3, 2026. Up to 110 meteors/hour under optimal conditions.
Peak: up to 110 meteors/hour
Astronomical Events 2026–2027
Solstices, equinoxes, and meteor showers — all dates verified against JPL DE440 ephemeris and IMO meteor shower calendar.
2026 Events
Equinox
March Equinox 2026
Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north — spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Ideal date for solar declination calibration.
Solstice
June Solstice 2026
Sun reaches northernmost declination (+23.44°). Longest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Key date for solar altitude calculations.
Meteor Shower
Perseids 2026
Peak August 12-13, 2026. Up to 90 meteors/hour (IMO 2026). New Moon — zero moonlight interference. Best Perseid conditions in years.
Peak: up to 90 meteors/hour
Equinox
September Equinox 2026
Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south — autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere.
Meteor Shower
Geminids 2026
Peak December 14, 2026. Up to 120 meteors/hour (IMO 2026). New Moon — zero moonlight. Year's strongest shower with bright, multicolored meteors.
Peak: up to 120 meteors/hour
Solstice
December Solstice 2026
Sun reaches southernmost declination (−23.44°). Shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
Planetary Conjunction
Venus-Jupiter Conjunction 2026
June 9, 2026. Venus (−4.0 mag) and Jupiter (−2.0 mag) just 1.6° apart in the western sky after sunset. Naked-eye visible worldwide.
Meteor Shower
Southern δ-Aquarids 2026
Peak July 30-31, 2026. Up to 25 meteors/hour. Best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and low northern latitudes.
Peak: up to 25 meteors/hour
Comet
10P/Tempel 2 Perihelion 2026
August 2, 2026. Comet 10P/Tempel 2 reaches perihelion at ~8 mag. Visible with binoculars or small telescope under dark skies.
Solar Eclipse
Total Solar Eclipse 2026
August 12, 2026. Totality path: Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Spain. Max duration 1m58s near A Coruña. Partial eclipse visible across most of Europe. Use ISO-certified solar filters only.
Greatest Elongation
Venus Greatest Eastern Elongation 2026
August 15, 2026. Venus at its greatest angular distance from the Sun. Magnitude −4.4 — brightest apparition. Best viewed in the western sky after sunset.
Lunar Eclipse
Deep Partial Lunar Eclipse 2026
August 27-28, 2026. ~90% of the Moon enters Earth's umbra — near-total eclipse. Visible across Asia, Australia, and the Pacific. Naked-eye observable.
Planetary Conjunction
Lunar Occultation of Jupiter 2026
October 6, 2026. The Moon passes in front of Jupiter. Visible from eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific region.
Meteor Shower
Orionids 2026
Peak October 21, 2026. Up to 20 meteors/hour. Debris from Halley's Comet. Some moonlight interference (waxing gibbous). Best after midnight facing east.
Peak: up to 20 meteors/hour
Planetary Conjunction
Four-Planet Alignment 2026
Around November 14, 2026. Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter align in the pre-dawn eastern sky. Naked-eye visible worldwide before sunrise.
Meteor Shower
Leonids 2026
Peak November 17-19, 2026. Up to 15 meteors/hour. Fast, bright meteors with persistent trains. Best viewing after midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.
Peak: up to 15 meteors/hour
Supermoon
Supermoon + Lunar Occultation of Pleiades 2026
November 24, 2026. Supermoon (perigee full moon) coinciding with a lunar occultation of the Pleiades star cluster (M45). Visible across most of the world except far western regions.
Planetary Opposition
Uranus at Opposition 2026
November 25, 2026. Uranus at its brightest (~5.7 mag) — barely visible to the naked eye. Best viewed with binoculars or telescope. Best time of year to observe Uranus.
Planetary Opposition
Neptune at Opposition 2026
September 25, 2026. Neptune at its brightest (~7.8 mag) — telescope required. Best time of year to observe the outermost planet.
Meteor Shower
Ursids 2026
Peak December 21-22, 2026. Up to 10 meteors/hour. Slow-moving meteors. Best from the Northern Hemisphere; circumpolar for Arctic observers.
Peak: up to 10 meteors/hour
Supermoon
Biggest Supermoon of 2026
December 24, 2026. The closest full moon of the year — only 356,600 km away. Apparent diameter 34′ — 14% larger than an average full moon. Spectacular at moonrise.
2027 Events
Meteor Shower
Quadrantids 2027
Peak January 3, 2027. Up to 110 meteors/hour under optimal conditions.
Peak: up to 110 meteors/hour
Equinox
March Equinox 2027
Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north — spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere.
Meteor Shower
Eta Aquarids 2027
Peak May 5, 2027. Debris from Halley's Comet. Up to 50 meteors/hour, best in Southern Hemisphere.
Peak: up to 50 meteors/hour
Solstice
June Solstice 2027
Sun reaches northernmost declination (+23.44°). Longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
Meteor Shower
Perseids 2027
Peak August 12, 2027. Up to 100 meteors/hour. Great summer viewing in the Northern Hemisphere.
Peak: up to 100 meteors/hour
Equinox
September Equinox 2027
Sun crosses the celestial equator heading south — autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere.
Meteor Shower
Geminids 2027
Peak December 14, 2027. Up to 150 meteors/hour. Typically the year's strongest meteor shower.
Peak: up to 150 meteors/hour
Solstice
December Solstice 2027
Sun reaches southernmost declination (−23.44°). Shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How accurate are these astronomical event dates?
- Solstice and equinox dates are calculated from JPL DE440 ephemeris data (the same planetary/lunar ephemeris used by NASA). Meteor shower peak dates follow the International Meteor Organization (IMO) annual calendar. All dates are in UTC.
- Can I observe meteor showers from my location?
- Meteor showers are visible worldwide, but the radiant altitude affects hourly rates. Use FastTool's Sidereal Time Calculator to plan when the radiant is highest at your longitude. The darkest hours after astronomical twilight are ideal — use our Twilight Calculator to find your window.
- What is the difference between a solstice and an equinox?
- A solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its northernmost (+23.44°) or southernmost (−23.44°) declination, giving the longest or shortest day. An equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator (0° declination), giving roughly equal day and night worldwide.
- Why are the events listed in UTC?
- Astronomical events are independent of time zones — UTC is the universal standard. Convert to your local time by adding or subtracting your UTC offset. For example, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is UTC−4.
After the Event — Process Your FITS Captures
Captured FITS data during the celestial event? Turn raw astronomical data into stunning, wallpaper-quality images with AstroSky — a free Windows desktop app with intelligent auto-stretch, 12+ color maps, and 8K export.
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