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 5 DAYS14MON
The Moon 29′ from Venus
29′ between the Moon and Venus — one binocular field, after sunset.
- SUNIN 14 DAYS23WED
September equinox
September equinox: the Sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night level up.
- OPPOSITIONIN 17 DAYS26SAT
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+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.
Every event now opens with the hours worth being outside for it from SYDNEY. Add only what I can see to set aside the ones that never rise there.
September 2026
] 3 EVENTS- 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, 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
- 41° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 27° above the W 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.
- 23WEDSUN--:--
September equinox
The Sun crosses back south over the celestial equator, day and night level up again, and the nights start getting longer in the north and shorter in the south.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
- 26SATOPPOSITION--:--
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 56° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
October 2026
] 7 EVENTS- 4SUNOPPOSITION--:--
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 54° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 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 SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
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 SYDNEY 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.
- 9FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-06 — 2026-10-10
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
- 3% lit — out of the sky all night
- SPEED
- 20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
From SYDNEY it never climbs higher than 2° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
- 10SATMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-09-10 — 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
- 0% lit — out of the sky all night
- SPEED
- 27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 47° above the N horizon.
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.
- 12MONELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
Mercury stands 25° away from the Sun in our sky today, the widest that gap opens on this pass. Look west just after sunset: this is the easiest Mercury gets to find, and Mercury is hard to catch at any other time.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 25° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 21WEDMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-02 — 2026-11-07
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 at the other place its orbit crosses ours, 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
- 79% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 40° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 79% 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.
November 2026
] 9 EVENTS- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the NE 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the NE 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.
- 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, 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
- 22° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
- 12THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-20 — 2026-12-10
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
- 11% lit — sets in the early evening
- SPEED
- 29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 34° above the N horizon.
The Moon is a 11% 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.
- 16MONCONJUNCTION--:--
Mars and Jupiter 1.2° apart
Mars and Jupiter come within 1.2° of each other, close enough to take in with one glance and to frame together in binoculars. They are 88° from the Sun, so look east before sunrise.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.2° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 88° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 30° above the NE 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.
- 17TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-11-06 — 2026-11-30
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
- 55% lit — sets around midnight
- SPEED
- 71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the NE horizon.
The Moon is 55% 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.
- 20FRIELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
Mercury stands 20° away from the Sun in our sky today, the widest that gap opens on this pass. Look east shortly before sunrise: this is the easiest Mercury gets to find, and Mercury is hard to catch at any other time.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 20° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 25WEDOPPOSITION--:--
Uranus at opposition
Uranus is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 35° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 37° above the NE 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
] 4 EVENTS- 14MONMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-04 — 2026-12-20
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 one of the two major showers whose parent is an asteroid rather than a comet, the Quadrantids being the other; 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
- 25% lit — sets in the early evening
- SPEED
- 35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the N horizon.
The Moon is a 25% 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.
- 21MONSUN--:--
December solstice
The Sun reaches its furthest south: the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest in the southern.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
- 22TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-17 — 2026-12-26
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
- 98% lit — up for the whole night
- SPEED
- 33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
It never comes above the horizon from SYDNEY around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
The Moon is 98% 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.
- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 43° above the N 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.
January 2027
] 3 EVENTS- 3SUNELONGATION--:--
Venus at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
Venus stands 47° away from the Sun in our sky today, the widest that gap opens on this pass. Look east shortly before sunrise: this is the easiest Venus gets to find.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 47° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 4MONMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-28 — 2027-01-12
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
- 12% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
From SYDNEY it never climbs higher than 7° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
The Moon is a 12% 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.
- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 40° above the N 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
] 7 EVENTS- 3WEDELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
18° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 18° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 6SATECLIPSE--:--
Annular solar eclipse
The Moon passes centrally across the Sun but is too far from Earth to cover it, so at greatest eclipse — over 31.3°S, 48.5°W — a ring of Sun stays visible all the way round it, with 86% of the disc covered. It never gets dark and it is never safe to look at without a certified solar filter.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- COVERED
- 86% — of the disc, at the point where the eclipse is greatest
- GREATEST OVER
- 31.3°S, 48.5°W — where the Moon's shadow passes closest to the centre of the Earth
None of it reaches SYDNEY: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.
Never with an unaided eye, and never through binoculars or a telescope without a filter made for the job — a moment of it does permanent damage. Certified eclipse glasses for looking, or a pinhole in a card projecting onto a second card, which costs nothing and is safe for a crowd.
- 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 SYDNEY 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.
- 11THUOPPOSITION--:--
Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 41° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 19FRIOPPOSITION--:--
Mars at opposition
Mars is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 41° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 43° above the N 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.
- 20SATECLIPSE--:--
Penumbral lunar eclipse
The Moon passes through the soft outer edge of Earth's shadow, not the dark core of it. The whole disc dims slightly and unevenly — enough to notice in a photograph taken before and after, and easy to miss by eye.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The Moon is below the horizon from SYDNEY for the whole of it — this one belongs to the other side of the planet.
Nothing needed at all: a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with your eyes, and binoculars mostly add colour. It is slow — over an hour from first shadow to deepest — so it rewards going out more than once rather than standing outside for the whole of it.
March 2027
] 4 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, 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
- 24° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
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.
- 17WEDELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
28° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 28° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 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 SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 40° above the N 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.
- 20SATSUN--:--
March equinox
The Sun crosses the celestial equator heading north, and day and night are very nearly equal length everywhere on Earth. Spring begins in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
April 2027
] 2 EVENTS- 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
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 38° above the N 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.
- 23FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-04-14 — 2027-04-30
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
- 95% lit — rises in the mid-evening
- SPEED
- 49 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 95% 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.
May 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 6THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-04-19 — 2027-05-28
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
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 48° above the NE horizon.
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.
- 7FRICONJUNCTION--:--
Venus and Saturn 36′ apart
Venus and Saturn come within 36′ of each other, close enough to look like a double star to the unaided eye and to sit in one telescope field together. They are 26° from the Sun, so look east before sunrise.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.6° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 26° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
- 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
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 36° above the N 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.
- 28FRIELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
23° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 23° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
June 2027
] 1 EVENT- 21MONSUN--:--
June solstice
The Sun reaches its furthest north, giving the northern hemisphere its longest day and its shortest, palest nights — and the southern hemisphere the long dark evenings that go with midwinter.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
July 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 15THUELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
21° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 21° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 18SUNECLIPSE--:--
Penumbral lunar eclipse
A faint, even dimming as the Moon crosses the outer edge of Earth's shadow.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 79° above the N horizon.
Nothing needed at all: a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with your eyes, and binoculars mostly add colour. It is slow — over an hour from first shadow to deepest — so it rewards going out more than once rather than standing outside for the whole of it.
- 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
- 10% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 23 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 66° above the N horizon.
The Moon is a 10% 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.
- 30FRIMETEORS--:--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
- 10% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 72° above the N horizon.
The Moon is a 10% 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
] 3 EVENTS- 2MONECLIPSE--:--
Total solar eclipse
The Moon covers the Sun completely along a narrow track across the Earth, and takes a bite out of it for a wide margin either side. Greatest eclipse falls over 25.5°N, 33.2°E — being on that track is the whole difference between a total eclipse and a partial one, and this page does not know where you are standing. Never look at any phase of it without a certified solar filter.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- COVERED
- 100% — of the disc, at the point where the eclipse is greatest
- GREATEST OVER
- 25.5°N, 33.2°E — where the Moon's shadow passes closest to the centre of the Earth
None of it reaches SYDNEY: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.
Never with an unaided eye, and never through binoculars or a telescope without a filter made for the job — a moment of it does permanent damage. Certified eclipse glasses for looking, or a pinhole in a card projecting onto a second card, which costs nothing and is safe for a crowd.
- 13FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-07-18 — 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
- 87% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 59 km/s — entering the atmosphere
It never comes above the horizon from SYDNEY around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
The Moon is 87% 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.
- 17TUEECLIPSE--:--
Penumbral lunar eclipse
A faint, even dimming as the Moon crosses the outer edge of Earth's shadow.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
The Moon is below the horizon from SYDNEY for the whole of it — this one belongs to the other side of the planet.
Nothing needed at all: a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with your eyes, and binoculars mostly add colour. It is slow — over an hour from first shadow to deepest — so it rewards going out more than once rather than standing outside for the whole of it.
September 2027
] 3 EVENTS- 23THUSUN--:--
September equinox
September equinox: the Sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night level up.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
- 24FRIELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
26° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 26° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 28TUEOPPOSITION--:--
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 55° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
October 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 9SATMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-06 — 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
- 67% lit — sets around midnight
- SPEED
- 20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
From SYDNEY it never climbs higher than 2° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
The Moon is 67% lit and sets around midnight, 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.
- 10SUNMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-09-10 — 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
- 80% lit — sets in the small hours
- SPEED
- 27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 47° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 80% 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.
- 18MONOPPOSITION--:--
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 49° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 22FRIMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-02 — 2027-11-07
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
- 58% lit — rises around midnight
- SPEED
- 66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 40° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 58% 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.
November 2027
] 6 EVENTS- 4THUELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
19° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 19° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 13SATMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-20 — 2027-12-10
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
- 98% lit — up for the whole night
- SPEED
- 29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 34° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 98% 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.
- 18THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-11-06 — 2027-11-30
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
- 80% lit — rises in the mid-evening
- SPEED
- 71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the NE horizon.
The Moon is 80% 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.
- 25THUCONJUNCTION--:--
Venus and Mars 19′ apart
Venus and Mars come within 19′ of each other, close enough to look like a double star to the unaided eye and to sit in one telescope field together. They are 27° from the Sun, so look west after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.3° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 27° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
- 30TUEOPPOSITION--:--
Uranus at opposition
Uranus is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 35° above the N horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 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, 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
- 28° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
December 2027
] 4 EVENTS- 14TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-04 — 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
- 98% lit — up for the whole night
- SPEED
- 35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SYDNEY — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the N horizon.
The Moon is 98% 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.
- 22WEDSUN--:--
December solstice
December solstice: the Sun reaches its furthest from the equator, and the year turns.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
A moment rather than a sight: the Sun reaches a point in its own path, at the same instant for everybody on Earth.
Nothing to see on the night. What it marks is the shape of the months either side: which way the nights are going, and how much dark you will have to work with.
- 23THUMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-17 — 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
- 21% lit — rises in the small hours
- SPEED
- 33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
It never comes above the horizon from SYDNEY around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
The Moon is a 21% 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.
- 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, 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
- 18° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
January 2028
] 5 EVENTS- 4TUEMETEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-28 — 2028-01-12
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
- 44% lit — sets around midnight
- SPEED
- 41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
From SYDNEY it never climbs higher than 7° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
The Moon is 44% 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.
- 8SATCONJUNCTION--:--
Mercury and Mars 41′ apart
Mercury and Mars come within 41′ of each other, close enough to look like a double star to the unaided eye and to sit in one telescope field together. They are 16° from the Sun, so look west after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.7° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 16° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
- 12WEDECLIPSE--:--
Partial lunar eclipse
Earth's shadow crosses 3% of the Moon's disc at the deepest point, over about 58 minutes — a clean curved bite out of a full moon, obvious to the naked eye and to a phone camera. Visible from wherever the Moon is above the horizon at the time.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- COVERED
- 3% — of the disc, at the point where the eclipse is greatest
- DEEPEST PHASE
- 58 min
The Moon is below the horizon from SYDNEY for the whole of it — this one belongs to the other side of the planet.
Nothing needed at all: a lunar eclipse is safe to watch with your eyes, and binoculars mostly add colour. It is slow — over an hour from first shadow to deepest — so it rewards going out more than once rather than standing outside for the whole of it.
- 17MONELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
19° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 19° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 26WEDECLIPSE--:--
Annular solar eclipse
A ring of Sun stays visible around the Moon, greatest over 3.0°N, 51.5°W.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- COVERED
- 85% — of the disc, at the point where the eclipse is greatest
- GREATEST OVER
- 3.0°N, 51.5°W — where the Moon's shadow passes closest to the centre of the Earth
None of it reaches SYDNEY: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.
Never with an unaided eye, and never through binoculars or a telescope without a filter made for the job — a moment of it does permanent damage. Certified eclipse glasses for looking, or a pinhole in a card projecting onto a second card, which costs nothing and is safe for a crowd.
February 2028
] 2 EVENTS- 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, 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
- 26° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY 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.
- 27SUNELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
27° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 27° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SYDNEY the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
75 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 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.