Sky calendar
The next 18 months of things that happen on a date, solved from the ephemeris rather than kept in a list. Almost every one is the same instant for everybody on Earth, so a date here needs no location to be true — what is visible tonight is the list that does depend on where you are standing.
Coming up
] SOONEST FIRST- CONJUNCTIONIN 1 DAY8TUE
The Moon 46′ from Jupiter
46′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
- MOONIN 3 DAYS11FRI
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
- CONJUNCTIONIN 6 DAYS14MON
The Moon 29′ from Venus
29′ between the Moon and Venus — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT THE EIGHT KINDS ARE
- Eclipses — solar and lunar, with where on Earth each is greatest.
- Meteor showers — dated by where the Earth is in its orbit, not by a fixed calendar day.
- Moon phases — the four quarters, which set what else is worth chasing that fortnight.
- Close pairings — two bright things within a few degrees of each other.
- Oppositions — the night each outer planet is closest, biggest and up all night.
- Elongations — the mornings and evenings Mercury and Venus stand furthest from the Sun.
- Equinoxes and solstices — the four turning points of the year.
- Flybys — near-Earth asteroids passing inside twenty lunar distances.
Pick a place and every event will say which hours are worth being outside for it. Until you do, nothing here is answered for anywhere in particular.
September 2026
] 5 EVENTS- 8TUECONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 46′ from Jupiter
The Moon passes 46′ from Jupiter — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look before dawn; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.8° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 31° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 11FRIMOON--:--
New moon
The Moon is between us and the Sun, so it is up all day and invisible all night — which makes this the darkest sky of the month and the best fortnight of it for faint galaxies and nebulae.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 14MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 29′ from Venus
The Moon passes 29′ from Venus — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look after sunset; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.5° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 41° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 18FRIMOON--:--
First quarter
Half the disc is lit and the Moon sits high in the evening, with the sunrise line running down its middle — the shadows along that line are long, which is when its craters look their most three-dimensional in any telescope.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 26SATMOON--:--
Full moon
The Moon rises as the Sun sets and is up all night, fully lit. It is the best night of the month to look at the Moon and the worst to look at anything faint, because its light scatters through the whole sky.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
October 2026
] 9 EVENTS- 3SATMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit again, and now rising around midnight — so the early evening is dark and the small hours are not, the reverse of the first quarter.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 5MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Mars
The Moon passes 1.1° from Mars — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look before dawn; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 68° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 6TUECONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 10′ from Jupiter
10′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.2° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 53° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 8THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-07 — 2026-10-09
Draconids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and the debris burns up at 20 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Draco, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is usually almost nothing, and about once a generation a storm of thousands an hour; the slowest meteors of any shower, and the only major one best watched in the evening rather than after midnight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 5% lit — out of the sky all night
- SPEED
- 20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is new that night and out of the way entirely — this is as good as this shower's peak gets.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 9FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-09-09 — 2026-11-20
Southern Taurids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 2P/Encke, and the debris burns up at 27 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Cetus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is ten weeks of activity at a handful an hour, made worth watching by the fireballs — slow, orange and bright enough to cast a shadow. The radiant drifts right across the sky over those weeks, from Cetus in September into Taurus in November, so the shower is named for where it ends up rather than where it is on any one night.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 1% lit — out of the sky all night
- SPEED
- 27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is new that night and out of the way entirely — this is as good as this shower's peak gets.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 10SATMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 18SUNMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 21WEDMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-06 — 2026-11-02
Orionids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 1P/Halley, and the debris burns up at 66 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 20 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Orion, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the other half of Halley's dust — the same comet as the η Aquariids, met on the way out of the stream instead of into it, and equally fast.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 20/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 75% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 75% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 26MONMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
November 2026
] 10 EVENTS- 1SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 2MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 58′ from Mars
58′ between the Moon and Mars — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.0° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 81° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 2MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 29′ from Jupiter
29′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.5° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 76° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 7SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 57′ from Venus
57′ between the Moon and Venus — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 22° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 9MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 12THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-17 — 2026-12-05
Northern Taurids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 2P/Encke, and the debris burns up at 29 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Taurus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the second branch of the same broad stream, overlapping the first for most of November and throwing the same slow fireballs.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 9% lit — sets in the early evening
- SPEED
- 29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is a 9% crescent and sets in the early evening — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 17TUEMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 17TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-11-12 — 2026-11-27
Leonids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 71 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 15 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Leo, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the fastest meteors that reach us, and the shower with the most spectacular history — every 33 years or so, when the parent comet has just been past, it has produced storms of tens of thousands an hour.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 15/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 51% lit — sets around midnight
- SPEED
- 71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 51% lit and sets around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 24TUEMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 30MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 102° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
December 2026
] 8 EVENTS- 1TUEMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 9WEDMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 14MONMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-07 — 2026-12-19
Geminids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 3200 Phaethon, and the debris burns up at 35 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 150 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Gemini, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the richest shower of the year, and the only major one whose parent is an asteroid rather than a comet; medium-speed, often yellow, and active from mid-evening because the radiant rises early.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 150/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 22% lit — sets in the early evening
- SPEED
- 35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is a 22% crescent and sets in the early evening — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 17THUMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 22TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-20 — 2026-12-25
Ursids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 8P/Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 33 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 10 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Ursa Minor, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is a small northern shower nobody watches because it falls the week of the December solstice; the radiant never sets from most of the northern hemisphere, so it can be watched all night.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 10/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 96% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 96% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 24THUMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 27SUNCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 129° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 30WEDMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
January 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 3SUNMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-01-02 — 2027-01-06
Quadrantids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 196256 (2003 EH₁), and the debris burns up at 41 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 110 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Boötes, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the sharpest maximum of any shower — the good hours are about six wide, so the peak either falls on your night or it does not.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 110/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 14% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is a 14% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 7THUMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 15FRIMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 22FRIMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 23SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 160° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 29FRIMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
February 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 6SATMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 8MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 19′ from Mercury
The Moon passes 19′ from Mercury — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look after sunset; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.3° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 17° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 14SUNMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 20SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 169° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 20SATMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 28SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
March 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 6SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Mercury
1.1° between the Moon and Mercury — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 24° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 8MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 15MONMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 19FRICONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 52′ from Jupiter
52′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 139° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 22MONMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 30TUEMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
April 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 6TUEMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 13TUEMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 15THUCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 55′ from Jupiter
55′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 112° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 20TUEMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 22THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-04-19 — 2027-04-26
Lyrids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), and the debris burns up at 49 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 18 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Hercules, close to Vega, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the oldest shower on record, watched from China in 687 BC, and still capable of a brief outburst nobody predicted.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 18/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 97% lit — rises in the mid-evening
- SPEED
- 49 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 97% lit and rises in the mid-evening, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 28WEDMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
May 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 6THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-05-01 — 2027-05-16
η Aquariids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 1P/Halley, and the debris burns up at 66 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 50 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Aquarius, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is dust from Halley's Comet, hitting the atmosphere almost head-on and leaving glowing trains that hang for seconds; much better from the southern hemisphere, where the radiant climbs before dawn instead of skimming the horizon.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 50/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 0% lit — out of the sky all night
- SPEED
- 66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is new that night and out of the way entirely — this is as good as this shower's peak gets.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 6THUMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 12WEDCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.2° from Jupiter
1.2° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.2° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 86° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 13THUMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 20THUMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 28FRIMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
June 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 4FRIMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 11FRIMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 19SATMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 27SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
July 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 4SUNMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 10SATMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 18SUNMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 26MONMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 28WEDMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-07-12 — 2027-08-23
Southern δ Aquariids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 96P/Machholz, and the debris burns up at 41 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 25 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Aquarius, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is a broad, faint stream with no sharp peak, best from the southern hemisphere and from southern latitudes in the north.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 25/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 33% lit — rises around midnight
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 33% lit and rises around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 30FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-07-03 — 2027-08-15
α Capricornids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 169P/NEAT, and the debris burns up at 23 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Capricornus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is slow and bright rather than numerous — the rate is low but a good fraction of what it does produce are fireballs, and both hemispheres see it equally.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 14% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 23 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is a 14% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
August 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 2MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 9MONMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 12THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-07-17 — 2027-08-24
Perseids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 109P/Swift-Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 59 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 100 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Perseus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the reliable one, and the one that falls in the northern hemisphere's warmest nights — bright, fast, and often leaving persistent trains.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 100/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 84% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 59 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 84% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 17TUEMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 25WEDMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 31TUEMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
September 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 7TUEMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 15WEDMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 23THUMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 30THUMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
October 2027
] 7 EVENTS- 7THUMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 8FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-08 — 2027-10-10
Draconids at maximum
Earth crosses 21P/Giacobini-Zinner's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Draco.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 64% lit — sets around midnight
- SPEED
- 20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 64% lit and sets around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 9SATMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-09-09 — 2027-11-20
Southern Taurids at maximum
Earth crosses 2P/Encke's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Cetus.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 72% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 72% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 15FRIMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 21THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-06 — 2027-11-02
Orionids at maximum
Earth crosses 1P/Halley's dust trail: up to 20 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Orion.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 20/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 62% lit — rises around midnight
- SPEED
- 66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 62% lit and rises around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 22FRIMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 29FRIMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
November 2027
] 7 EVENTS- 6SATMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 12FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-17 — 2027-12-05
Northern Taurids at maximum
Earth crosses 2P/Encke's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Taurus.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 97% lit — up for the whole night
- SPEED
- 29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 97% lit and up for the whole night, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 14SUNMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 17WEDMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-11-12 — 2027-11-27
Leonids at maximum
Earth crosses 55P/Tempel-Tuttle's dust trail: up to 15 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Leo.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 15/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 83% lit — rises in the mid-evening
- SPEED
- 71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 83% lit and rises in the mid-evening, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 21SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 28SUNMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 30TUECONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 52′ from Venus
52′ between the Moon and Venus — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 28° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
December 2027
] 7 EVENTS- 6MONMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 13MONMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 14TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-07 — 2027-12-20
Geminids at maximum
Earth crosses 3200 Phaethon's dust trail: up to 150 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Gemini.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 150/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 99% lit — up for the whole night
- SPEED
- 35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 99% lit and up for the whole night, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 20MONMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 22WEDMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-21 — 2027-12-26
Ursids at maximum
Earth crosses 8P/Tuttle's dust trail: up to 10 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Ursa Minor.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 10/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 25% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is a 25% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 27MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
- 29WEDCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 31′ from Mars
31′ between the Moon and Mars — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.5° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 18° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
January 2028
] 5 EVENTS- 4TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2028-01-02 — 2028-01-06
Quadrantids at maximum
Earth crosses 196256 (2003 EH₁)'s dust trail: up to 110 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Boötes.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- RATE
- 110/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
- MOON
- 40% lit — sets in the early evening
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The Moon is 40% lit and sets in the early evening. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
- 5WEDMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 12WEDMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 18TUEMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 26WEDMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
February 2028
] 5 EVENTS- 3THUMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 10THUMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Any eye, any binoculars, any telescope — and better through binoculars than most people expect. The one thing a full moon is bad for is the full moon itself: with the Sun straight behind us there are no shadows on the disc, so it is bright and flat. The craters look their best a week either side of tonight.
- 17THUMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
- 23WEDCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 12′ from Mercury
12′ between the Moon and Mercury — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.2° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 26° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 25FRIMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
There is nothing to look at, which is the point: this is the fortnight to go after galaxies, nebulae and the Milky Way, and the week either side of it is the darkest sky you will get this month. Take the faintest thing on your list.
March 2028
] 1 EVENT- 4SATMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A small telescope on the line between light and dark, which is where the shadows are longest and the craters look carved rather than printed. Any evening within a night or two of this shows much the same thing.
114 events for the 18 months from today, of the kinds selected above. Times are instants, shown on your own clock; how every number here was made.
Nothing here is a hand-kept list. Every date except the flybys is solved from the same ephemeris the rest of the site uses to place the planets, at the moment you load the page; a meteor shower is dated by the longitude the Sun reaches rather than by a day of the month, which is why its date moves a little from year to year. The same events are available as JSON and CSV.
The 38 close approaches come from NASA/JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, as they stood on 2026-08-30, and cover passes inside 20 lunar distances from 2026-07-31 through 2028-04-01. Unlike everything else on this page they cannot be computed from an ephemeris here — a newly discovered asteroid has no orbit until somebody measures one — so they are as complete as that date and no more.
COMMON QUESTIONS
] 10 ANSWERED- Why is there not an eclipse every month?
- Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Earth's, so at most new moons its shadow passes above or below us and misses. Eclipses arrive in seasons roughly twice a year, when the two orbital planes happen to line up with the Sun.
- What fixes the date of a meteor shower?
- Where the Earth is in its orbit, not the calendar. A shower is the Earth crossing a stream of dust a comet left behind, so the peak falls at the same point in the orbit every year and drifts by a few hours against the clock — which is why the dates here are solved rather than looked up.
- Why are moon phases on a list of events?
- Because moonlight decides what else is worth chasing. A full moon costs several magnitudes of faint detail across the whole sky, so the fortnight around new moon is when meteors, galaxies and nebulae actually repay the trip outside.
- What is an opposition, and why is it the night to look?
- Opposition is the moment an outer planet sits opposite the Sun from Earth, so it rises at sunset, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It falls close to the planet's nearest approach as well, which makes it the biggest and brightest that planet gets in the year.
- What are the equinoxes and solstices, exactly?
- The four instants at which the Sun reaches its furthest north, its furthest south, or crosses the celestial equator between the two. They are moments rather than days, and they are the same moment everywhere on Earth — which is why one of them can fall on a different date depending on your time zone.
- How close does a listed flyby come?
- Inside twenty lunar distances, which is about eight million kilometres. That is close by the standards of the Solar System and by no other standard at all: nothing on this list is a hazard, and the orbits are known accurately enough to say so well in advance.
- Do I need to say where I am?
- Not for the dates. An eclipse maximum, a shower peak or an opposition is the same instant everywhere. For whether the event clears your horizon at a sensible hour — and, for a solar eclipse, for whether you are standing inside a track a few hundred kilometres wide — the answer does depend on where you are, and the page will ask if you want it.
- How far ahead can any of this be predicted?
- Centuries, for anything driven by the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets: the ephemeris behind them holds up over far longer than a lifetime, and eclipse dates thousands of years out are routine. Meteor showers are the exception — the dates are firm and the strength is not, because it depends on how the dust happens to be distributed along the stream.
- Why do the times differ by a few minutes from other sources?
- Usually because a different thing is being timed. A shower peak is a broad maximum rather than an instant and different authorities quote it differently; a phase or an eclipse can be given in different time scales. Everything here comes from one ephemeris and is stated in one scale, so the events are at least consistent with each other.
- Can I get these into my own calendar?
- Yes. The whole window is published as a subscribable feed, so the events appear in whatever calendar application you already use and follow the solutions as they are recomputed.