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+WHAT THE EIGHT KINDS ARE
- Eclipses — solar and lunar, with where on Earth a solar one 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.
Hiding what cannot be seen from SVALBARD at all. Each month says how many it dropped and why; anything merely low stays on the list, with its altitude.
September 2026
] 2 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-09-14The Moon 29′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2026-09-18First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 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
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 17° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
] 5 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-10-18First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 32° above the ESE horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 68° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the ESE horizon.
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
The Moon passes 10′ 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
- 0.2° — about half a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 53° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
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.
- 10SATMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 26MONMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the S horizon.
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
] 6 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-11-07The Moon 57′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2026-11-17First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 1SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 28° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 81° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 76° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the S horizon.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 24TUEMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 37° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 102° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 24° above the S horizon.
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
] 6 EVENTS- 1TUEMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 18° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 17THUMOON--:--
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
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 8° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
- 24THUMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 38° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 129° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 20° above the S horizon.
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
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 1° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
] 4 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-01-29Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 7THUMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 24° above the S horizon.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 30° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 160° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 24° above the S horizon.
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.
February 2027
] 5 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-02-28Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 6SATMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 17° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than -1° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 33° above the S horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 169° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 27° above the S horizon.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 21° above the S horizon.
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.
March 2027
] 4 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-03-06The Moon 1.1° from Mercury — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-03-30Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 8MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 33° above the WSW horizon.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 139° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 28° above the SSW horizon.
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
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
April 2027
] 3 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-04-20Full moon — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-04-28Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 6TUEMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 112° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
May 2027
] 4 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-05-20Full moon — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 6THUMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 86° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
- 28FRIMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
] 3 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-06-19Full moon — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 4FRIMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
- 27SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
] 2 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-07-10First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-07-18Full moon — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 4SUNMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 26MONMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
August 2027
] 3 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-08-09First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-08-17Full moon — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
- 25WEDMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
] 3 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-09-07First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 15WEDMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
] 3 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-10-07First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 15FRIMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the S horizon.
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.
- 22FRIMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 30° above the SSE horizon.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
] 3 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-11-06First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-11-30The Moon 52′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 14SUNMOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 33° above the S horizon.
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.
- 21SUNMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 20° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
December 2027
] 4 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-12-29The Moon 31′ from Mars — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 6MONMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 5° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 37° above the S horizon.
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.
- 20MONMOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 9° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
- 27MONMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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.
January 2028
] 3 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2028-01-18Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 5WEDMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 19° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 34° above the S horizon.
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.
- 26WEDMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
] 3 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2028-02-17Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2028-02-23The Moon 12′ from Mercury — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 3THUMOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 32° above the S horizon.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 21° above the S horizon.
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.
- 25FRIMOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
Nothing to point at: the Moon is beside the Sun in the sky and lost in its glare from everywhere on Earth. What the date marks is the dark fortnight around it.
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
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 34° above the SW horizon.
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.
67 events for the 18 months from today, of the kinds selected above, of which every one can be seen from SVALBARD. 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 44 close approaches come from NASA/JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, as they stood on 2026-09-08, and cover passes inside 20 lunar distances from 2026-08-09 through 2028-04-10. 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 the hour quoted for it is where the Sun reaches a longitude the observing community has agreed on, not a measurement of that year's dust; an eclipse can be quoted at greatest eclipse or at mid-totality; a phase or an eclipse can be given in different time scales. Everything here comes from one ephemeris and is stated in Universal Time, so the events are at least consistent with each other.
- Can I get these into my own calendar?
- Yes. The next twelve months are published as a subscribable feed, filtered the way the page is when you ask for it, so the events appear in whatever calendar application you already use — and a subscription slides forward on its own as the window does.