Overview
- The year opens with the Wolf Moon on January 3, a supermoon that can appear up to about 13% brighter and 6% larger than an average full moon.
- Four eclipses are scheduled: an annular solar eclipse on February 17 (Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean), a total lunar eclipse on March 3 (Americas, Pacific, Australia, East Asia), a total solar eclipse on August 12 (Greenland, Iceland, North Atlantic, northern Spain), and a partial lunar eclipse on August 28 with roughly 93% of the Moon obscured.
- Observers will see 13 full moons in 2026, including two in May with a Blue Moon on May 31 and additional supermoons on November 24 and December 24.
- Forecasters note ongoing Solar Cycle 25 activity that could produce geomagnetic storms and striking auroras, depending on the timing and trajectory of eruptions and coronal mass ejections.
- Early January also features bright comets—24P/Schaumasse near Earth on January 4 and C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) peaking around January 20 for the Southern Hemisphere—plus prime planetary views with Jupiter best on January 10 and favorable oppositions for Neptune (September 25), Saturn (October 4) and Uranus (November 25), as well as an unusually dark Perseids peak near the new moon on August 12.