Why is there not an eclipse every month?

Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Earth's, so at most new moons its shadow passes above or below us and misses. Eclipses arrive in seasons roughly twice a year, when the two orbital planes happen to line up with the Sun.

What fixes the date of a meteor shower?

Where the Earth is in its orbit, not the calendar. A shower is the Earth crossing a stream of dust a comet left behind, so the peak falls at the same point in the orbit every year and drifts by a few hours against the clock — which is why the dates here are solved rather than looked up.

Why are moon phases on a list of events?

Because moonlight decides what else is worth chasing. A full moon costs several magnitudes of faint detail across the whole sky, so the fortnight around new moon is when meteors, galaxies and nebulae actually repay the trip outside.

What is an opposition, and why is it the night to look?

Opposition is the moment an outer planet sits opposite the Sun from Earth, so it rises at sunset, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It falls close to the planet's nearest approach as well, which makes it the biggest and brightest that planet gets in the year.

What are the equinoxes and solstices, exactly?

The four instants at which the Sun reaches its furthest north, its furthest south, or crosses the celestial equator between the two. They are moments rather than days, and they are the same moment everywhere on Earth — which is why one of them can fall on a different date depending on your time zone.

How close does a listed flyby come?

Inside twenty lunar distances, which is about eight million kilometres. That is close by the standards of the Solar System and by no other standard at all: nothing on this list is a hazard, and the orbits are known accurately enough to say so well in advance.

Do I need to say where I am?

Not for the dates. An eclipse maximum, a shower peak or an opposition is the same instant everywhere. For whether the event clears your horizon at a sensible hour — and, for a solar eclipse, for whether you are standing inside a track a few hundred kilometres wide — the answer does depend on where you are, and the page will ask if you want it.

How far ahead can any of this be predicted?

Centuries, for anything driven by the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets: the ephemeris behind them holds up over far longer than a lifetime, and eclipse dates thousands of years out are routine. Meteor showers are the exception — the dates are firm and the strength is not, because it depends on how the dust happens to be distributed along the stream.

Why do the times differ by a few minutes from other sources?

Usually because a different thing is being timed. A shower peak is a broad maximum rather than an instant and different authorities quote it differently; a phase or an eclipse can be given in different time scales. Everything here comes from one ephemeris and is stated in one scale, so the events are at least consistent with each other.

Can I get these into my own calendar?

Yes. The whole window is published as a subscribable feed, so the events appear in whatever calendar application you already use and follow the solutions as they are recomputed.

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 3 HOURS
8TUE
The Moon 46′ from Jupiter
46′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
MOONIN 2 DAYS
11FRI
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
FLYBYIN 2 DAYS
11FRI
(2026 OH3) passes at 12.3 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 146 m and 326 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 12.3 lunar distances out at 20.17 km/s.

SHOW

EVERYTHING MOON PLANETS METEOR SHOWERS ECLIPSES FLYBYS SUN

+WHAT THE EIGHT KINDS ARE

Eclipses — solar and lunar, with where on Earth each is greatest.
Meteor showers — dated by where the Earth is in its orbit, not by a fixed calendar day.
Moon phases — the four quarters, which set what else is worth chasing that fortnight.
Close pairings — two bright things within a few degrees of each other.
Oppositions — the night each outer planet is closest, biggest and up all night.
Elongations — the mornings and evenings Mercury and Venus stand furthest from the Sun.
Equinoxes and solstices — the four turning points of the year.
Flybys — near-Earth asteroids passing inside twenty lunar distances.

FROM WHERE

MAUNA KEA ATACAMA SVALBARD SYDNEYONLY WHAT I CAN SEE

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.

ADD TO YOUR CALENDAR ↓The next twelve months as an .ics file, filtered exactly as you have it here — import it, or subscribe and it stays current.

[

September 2026

] 6 EVENTS

+3 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.
2026-09-17(2026 NT2) passes at 16.1 lunar distances — 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.

8
TUE
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 46′ from Jupiter
The Moon passes 46′ from Jupiter — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look before dawn; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.8° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
31° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
11
FRI
MOON--:--
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.
Moon
+−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.
11
FRI
FLYBY--:--
(2026 OH3) passes at 12.3 lunar distances
(2026 OH3), somewhere between 146 m and 326 m across depending on how dark its surface is, makes its closest approach to Earth at 12.3 lunar distances (4.7 million km), moving past at 20.17 km/s. At magnitude 21.0 it is far below anything an amateur telescope reaches — this one is a fact rather than a sight. A pass at this range is ordinary rather than alarming — it is the reason the object is tracked, not a reason to worry about it.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
20.17 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
12.3 lunar distances — 4 731 952 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 21.0 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
146 m – 326 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
23
WED
SUN--:--
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.
Sun
+−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.
26
SAT
OPPOSITION--:--
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.
Neptune ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 12° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
26
SAT
MOON--:--
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.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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

] 10 EVENTS

3 4 5 6

8 9 10

+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2026-10-12Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2026-10-18First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

3
SAT
MOON--:--
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.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
4
SUN
OPPOSITION--:--
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.
Saturn ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 14° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
5
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
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.
Moon Mars ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
68° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
6
TUE
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 10′ from Jupiter
10′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.2° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
53° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
8
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-07 — 2026-10-09
Draconids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, and the debris burns up at 20 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Draco, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is usually almost nothing, and about once a generation a storm of thousands an hour; the slowest meteors of any shower, and the only major one best watched in the evening rather than after midnight.
21P/Giacobini-Zinner ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
5% lit — out of the sky all night
SPEED
20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 60° above the WSW 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.
9
FRI
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-09-09 — 2026-11-20
Southern Taurids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 2P/Encke, and the debris burns up at 27 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Cetus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is ten weeks of activity at a handful an hour, made worth watching by the fireballs — slow, orange and bright enough to cast a shadow. The radiant drifts right across the sky over those weeks, from Cetus in September into Taurus in November, so the shower is named for where it ends up rather than where it is on any one night.
2P/Encke ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
1% lit — out of the sky all night
SPEED
27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
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.
10
SAT
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
21
WED
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-06 — 2026-11-02
Orionids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 1P/Halley, and the debris burns up at 66 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 20 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Orion, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the other half of Halley's dust — the same comet as the η Aquariids, met on the way out of the stream instead of into it, and equally fast.
1P/Halley ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
20/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
75% lit — sets in the small hours
SPEED
66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 75% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
26
MON
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
31
SAT
FLYBY--:--
(2025 UK9) passes at 0.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 3 m and 6 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 0.8 lunar distances out at 7.83 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
7.83 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
0.8 lunar distances — 314 823 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 20.1 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
3 m – 6 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 16° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.

[

November 2026

] 11 EVENTS

1 2

16 17

24 25

+4 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2026-11-06(2001 KF54) passes at 18.8 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
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.
2026-11-20Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

1
SUN
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
2
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 58′ from Mars
58′ between the Moon and Mars — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Mars ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.0° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
81° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
2
MON
FLYBY--:--
524522 Zoozve (2002 VE68) passes at 15.7 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 207 m and 464 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 15.7 lunar distances out at 8.72 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
8.72 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
15.7 lunar distances — 6 018 535 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 15.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
207 m – 464 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 69° above the S horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
2
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 29′ from Jupiter
29′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.5° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
76° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
9
MON
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
12
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-10-17 — 2026-12-05
Northern Taurids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 2P/Encke, and the debris burns up at 29 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 5 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Taurus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the second branch of the same broad stream, overlapping the first for most of November and throwing the same slow fireballs.
2P/Encke ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
9% lit — sets in the early evening
SPEED
29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is a 9% crescent and sets in the early evening — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
16
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
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.
Mars Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−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 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.
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.
17
TUE
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-11-12 — 2026-11-27
Leonids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 71 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 15 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Leo, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the fastest meteors that reach us, and the shower with the most spectacular history — every 33 years or so, when the parent comet has just been past, it has produced storms of tens of thousands an hour.
55P/Tempel-Tuttle ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
15/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
51% lit — sets around midnight
SPEED
71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 51% lit and sets around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
24
TUE
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
25
WED
OPPOSITION--:--
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.
Uranus ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
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.
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.
30
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
102° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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

] 10 EVENTS

8 9

21 22

1
TUE
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
8
TUE
FLYBY--:--
(2016 NV) passes at 14.3 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 284 m and 634 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 14.3 lunar distances out at 10.42 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
10.42 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
14.3 lunar distances — 5 478 070 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 15.0 — needs a telescope
SIZE
284 m – 634 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
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.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
9
WED
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
14
MON
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-07 — 2026-12-19
Geminids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 3200 Phaethon, and the debris burns up at 35 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 150 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Gemini, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the richest shower of the year, and the only major one whose parent is an asteroid rather than a comet; medium-speed, often yellow, and active from mid-evening because the radiant rises early.
3200 Phaethon ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
150/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
22% lit — sets in the early evening
SPEED
35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 45° above the S horizon.
The Moon is a 22% crescent and sets in the early evening — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
17
THU
MOON--:--
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.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
21
MON
SUN--:--
December solstice
The Sun reaches its furthest south: the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest in the southern.
Sun
+−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.
22
TUE
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2026-12-20 — 2026-12-25
Ursids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 8P/Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 33 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 10 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Ursa Minor, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is a small northern shower nobody watches because it falls the week of the December solstice; the radiant never sets from most of the northern hemisphere, so it can be watched all night.
8P/Tuttle ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
10/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
96% lit — sets in the small hours
SPEED
33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 87° above the S horizon.
The Moon is 96% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
24
THU
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
27
SUN
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
129° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
30
WED
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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

] 5 EVENTS

22 23

+3 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2027-01-03Venus at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-01-28(2020 OP3) passes at 7.6 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-01-29Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

3
SUN
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-01-02 — 2027-01-06
Quadrantids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 196256 (2003 EH₁), and the debris burns up at 41 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 110 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Boötes, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the sharpest maximum of any shower — the good hours are about six wide, so the peak either falls on your night or it does not.
196256 (2003 EH₁)ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
110/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
14% lit — rises in the small hours
SPEED
41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 61° above the S horizon.
The Moon is a 14% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
7
THU
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
15
FRI
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
22
FRI
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
23
SAT
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
160° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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

] 9 EVENTS

19 20

+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2027-02-06Annular solar eclipse — None of it reaches SVALBARD: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.
2027-02-28Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

3
WED
ELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
Mercury stands 18° 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.
Mercury ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
18° — 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.
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.
6
SAT
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
8
MON
CONJUNCTION--:--
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.
Moon Mercury ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.3° — about half a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
17° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
11
THU
OPPOSITION--:--
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.
Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
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.
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.
14
SUN
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
19
FRI
OPPOSITION--:--
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.
Mars ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
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.
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.
20
SAT
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
169° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
20
SAT
ECLIPSE--:--
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.
Moon Earth ON THE MAP
+−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.
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.
20
SAT
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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

] 6 EVENTS

18 19 20

+5 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2027-03-04474158 (1999 FA) passes at 16.5 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-03-04535844 (2015 BY310) passes at 9.2 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
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.
2027-03-17Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — 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.

8
MON
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
15
MON
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
18
THU
FLYBY--:--
506074 Svarog (2015 UM67) passes at 19.0 lunar distances
A body 665 m across, passing 19.0 lunar distances out at 22.41 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
22.41 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
19.0 lunar distances — 7 308 194 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 15.2 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
665 m — measured
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 76° above the ENE horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
19
FRI
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 52′ from Jupiter
52′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
139° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
20
SAT
SUN--:--
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.
Sun
+−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.
22
MON
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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

] 4 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.

6
TUE
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
13
TUE
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
15
THU
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 55′ from Jupiter
55′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
112° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
22
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-04-19 — 2027-04-26
Lyrids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), and the debris burns up at 49 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 18 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Hercules, close to Vega, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the oldest shower on record, watched from China in 687 BC, and still capable of a brief outburst nobody predicted.
C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
18/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
97% lit — rises in the mid-evening
SPEED
49 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
The Moon is 97% lit and rises in the mid-evening, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.

[

May 2027

] 7 EVENTS

6 7

12 13

+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.

6
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-05-01 — 2027-05-16
η Aquariids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 1P/Halley, and the debris burns up at 66 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 50 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Aquarius, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is dust from Halley's Comet, hitting the atmosphere almost head-on and leaving glowing trains that hang for seconds; much better from the southern hemisphere, where the radiant climbs before dawn instead of skimming the horizon.
1P/Halley ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
50/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
0% lit — out of the sky all night
SPEED
66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
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.
6
THU
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
7
FRI
CONJUNCTION--:--
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.
Venus Saturn ON THE MAP
+−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
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.
12
WED
CONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.2° from Jupiter
1.2° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
Moon Jupiter ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SEPARATION
1.2° — about a finger-width at arm's length
FROM THE SUN
86° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
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.
13
THU
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
28
FRI
ELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
23° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
Mercury ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
23° — 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.
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.
28
FRI
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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

] 6 EVENTS

27 28

+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.

4
FRI
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
6
SUN
FLYBY--:--
4953 (1990 MU) passes at 12.0 lunar distances
4953 (1990 MU), somewhere between 2.8 km and 6.3 km across depending on how dark its surface is, makes its closest approach to Earth at 12.0 lunar distances (4.6 million km), moving past at 23.82 km/s. At magnitude 9.9 it is a binocular object, moving fast enough across the stars to watch it move. A pass at this range is ordinary rather than alarming — it is the reason the object is tracked, not a reason to worry about it.
4953 (1990 MU)ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
23.82 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
12.0 lunar distances — 4 612 019 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 9.9 — a binocular object
SIZE
2.8 km – 6.3 km — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Bright enough to find, and fast enough that the finding is the sport: it moves against the stars while you watch, so what you are looking for is the one point that will not stay put. Have a chart of the field ready before it arrives.
11
FRI
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
21
MON
SUN--:--
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.
Sun
+−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.
27
SUN
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
28
MON
FLYBY--:--
456938 (2007 YV56) passes at 19.6 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 169 m and 379 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.6 lunar distances out at 17.79 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
17.79 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
19.6 lunar distances — 7 530 376 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 17.8 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
169 m – 379 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.

[

July 2027

] 4 EVENTS

+4 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.
2027-07-18Penumbral lunar eclipse — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-07-28Southern δ Aquariids at maximum — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

4
SUN
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
15
THU
ELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
Mercury stands 21° 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.
Mercury ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
21° — 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.
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.
26
MON
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
30
FRI
METEORS--:--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.
169P/NEAT ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
14% lit — rises in the small hours
SPEED
23 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
The Moon is a 14% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.

[

August 2027

] 5 EVENTS

+6 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2027-08-02Total solar eclipse — None of it reaches SVALBARD: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.
2027-08-09First quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-08-17Penumbral lunar eclipse — 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.
2027-08-19(2017 QW17) passes at 17.8 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-08-29826799 (2023 OE6) passes at 16.7 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

2
MON
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
7
SAT
FLYBY--:--
137108 (1999 AN10) passes at 1.0 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 653 m and 1.5 km across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 1.0 lunar distances out at 26.28 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
26.28 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
1.0 lunar distances — 389 781 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 7.8 — a binocular object
SIZE
653 m – 1.5 km — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Bright enough to find, and fast enough that the finding is the sport: it moves against the stars while you watch, so what you are looking for is the one point that will not stay put. Have a chart of the field ready before it arrives.
12
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-07-17 — 2027-08-24
Perseids at maximum
The Earth crosses the densest part of a dust trail left by 109P/Swift-Tuttle, and the debris burns up at 59 km/s. Under a genuinely dark sky with the radiant overhead this is worth about 100 meteors an hour — a real sky and a real radiant altitude will give fewer, and a bright moon fewer still. Meteors appear all over the sky; they only trace back to Perseus, which is where to point a camera and not where to stare. It is the reliable one, and the one that falls in the northern hemisphere's warmest nights — bright, fast, and often leaving persistent trains.
109P/Swift-Tuttle ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
100/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
84% lit — sets in the small hours
SPEED
59 km/s — entering the atmosphere
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
The Moon is 84% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
25
WED
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
31
TUE
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

] 5 EVENTS

+2 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.
2027-09-24Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

15
WED
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
23
THU
SUN--:--
September equinox
September equinox: the Sun crosses the celestial equator and day and night level up.
Sun
+−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.
23
THU
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
28
TUE
OPPOSITION--:--
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
Neptune ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 13° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
30
THU
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

] 9 EVENTS

8 9

15 16

21 22

+2 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.
2027-10-27250680 (2005 QC5) passes at 18.9 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

8
FRI
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-08 — 2027-10-10
Draconids at maximum
Earth crosses 21P/Giacobini-Zinner's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Draco.
21P/Giacobini-Zinner ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
64% lit — sets around midnight
SPEED
20 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 60° above the WSW horizon.
The Moon is 64% lit and sets around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
9
SAT
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-09-09 — 2027-11-20
Southern Taurids at maximum
Earth crosses 2P/Encke's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Cetus.
2P/Encke ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
72% lit — sets in the small hours
SPEED
27 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 72% lit and sets in the small hours, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
15
FRI
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
16
SAT
FLYBY--:--
(2026 AT6) passes at 19.9 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 267 m and 597 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.9 lunar distances out at 10.56 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
10.56 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
19.9 lunar distances — 7 650 309 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 14.7 — needs a telescope
SIZE
267 m – 597 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 22° above the S horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
18
MON
OPPOSITION--:--
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
Saturn ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 19° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
21
THU
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-06 — 2027-11-02
Orionids at maximum
Earth crosses 1P/Halley's dust trail: up to 20 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Orion.
1P/Halley ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
20/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
62% lit — rises around midnight
SPEED
66 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 62% lit and rises around midnight. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
22
FRI
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
29
FRI
FLYBY--:--
453707 (2010 XY72) passes at 18.7 lunar distances
A body 495 m across, passing 18.7 lunar distances out at 18.03 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
18.03 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
18.7 lunar distances — 7 180 573 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 23.0 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
495 m — measured
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 18° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
29
FRI
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

] 9 EVENTS

12 13 14

+4 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.
2027-11-25Venus and Mars 19′ apart — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2027-11-28(2019 UT6) passes at 13.2 lunar distances — 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.

2
TUE
FLYBY--:--
(2017 QL33) passes at 8.1 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 143 m and 321 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 8.1 lunar distances out at 7.82 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
7.82 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
8.1 lunar distances — 3 110 557 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 15.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
143 m – 321 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 90° above the S horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
4
THU
ELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
19° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
Mercury ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
19° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 5° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
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.
12
FRI
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-10-17 — 2027-12-05
Northern Taurids at maximum
Earth crosses 2P/Encke's dust trail: up to 5 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Taurus.
2P/Encke ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
5/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
97% lit — up for the whole night
SPEED
29 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 97% lit and up for the whole night, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
13
SAT
FLYBY--:--
(2024 TW17) passes at 2.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 118 m and 264 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 2.8 lunar distances out at 20.9 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
20.9 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
2.8 lunar distances — 1 066 323 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 14.2 — needs a telescope
SIZE
118 m – 264 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 74° above the E horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
14
SUN
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
17
WED
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-11-12 — 2027-11-27
Leonids at maximum
Earth crosses 55P/Tempel-Tuttle's dust trail: up to 15 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Leo.
55P/Tempel-Tuttle ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
15/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
83% lit — rises in the mid-evening
SPEED
71 km/s — entering the atmosphere
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.
The Moon is 83% lit and rises in the mid-evening, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
21
SUN
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
28
SUN
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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.
30
TUE
OPPOSITION--:--
Uranus at opposition
Uranus is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
Uranus ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
FROM THE SUN
180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
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.
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.

[

December 2027

] 8 EVENTS

13 14

+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.

6
MON
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
13
MON
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
14
TUE
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-07 — 2027-12-20
Geminids at maximum
Earth crosses 3200 Phaethon's dust trail: up to 150 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Gemini.
3200 Phaethon ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
150/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
99% lit — up for the whole night
SPEED
35 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 45° above the S horizon.
The Moon is 99% lit and up for the whole night, which will wash out everything but the brightest of them while it is there. The rate above is what a moonless sky would give; expect a fraction of it.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
18
SAT
FLYBY--:--
745311 (2010 XC15) passes at 19.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 134 m and 301 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.8 lunar distances out at 8.89 km/s.
ON THE MAP WATCH THE PASS JPL orbit record ↗
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
SPEED
8.89 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
MISS DISTANCE
19.8 lunar distances — 7 620 326 km
BRIGHTNESS
magnitude 16.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
SIZE
134 m – 301 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 3° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
20
MON
MOON--:--
Last quarter
Half lit, rising near midnight — dark evenings, bright small hours.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
22
WED
SUN--:--
December solstice
December solstice: the Sun reaches its furthest from the equator, and the year turns.
Sun
+−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.
22
WED
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2027-12-21 — 2027-12-26
Ursids at maximum
Earth crosses 8P/Tuttle's dust trail: up to 10 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Ursa Minor.
8P/Tuttle ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
10/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
25% lit — rises in the small hours
SPEED
33 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 87° above the S horizon.
The Moon is a 25% crescent and rises in the small hours — thin enough that it barely matters.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
27
MON
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

] 5 EVENTS

4 5

+4 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD

2028-01-08Mercury and Mars 41′ apart — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2028-01-17Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2028-01-18Last quarter — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
2028-01-26Annular solar eclipse — None of it reaches SVALBARD: the Moon's shadow crosses a different part of the Earth, and from here the Sun is not touched at all.

4
TUE
METEORS--:--ACTIVE 2028-01-02 — 2028-01-06
Quadrantids at maximum
Earth crosses 196256 (2003 EH₁)'s dust trail: up to 110 an hour under a perfect sky, tracing back to Boötes.
196256 (2003 EH₁)ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
RATE
110/hour — under a sky showing sixth-magnitude stars, with the radiant overhead — a normalisation, not a forecast
MOON
40% lit — sets in the early evening
SPEED
41 km/s — entering the atmosphere
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 61° above the S horizon.
The Moon is 40% lit and sets in the early evening. It will cost you the faint end of the shower while it is up, so the hours after it goes are worth more than the hours before.
No equipment, and equipment actively hurts: binoculars cut your view down to a few degrees, and the meteors are everywhere. Lie back, look about two-thirds of the way up the sky rather than at the radiant, give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, and stay out for an hour — rates come in gusts and a ten-minute look proves nothing.
5
WED
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
12
WED
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
12
WED
ECLIPSE--:--
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.
Moon Earth ON THE MAP
+−WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
COVERED
3% — of the disc, at the point where the eclipse is greatest
DEEPEST PHASE
58 min
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.
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.
26
WED
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

+3 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.
2028-02-27Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.

3
THU
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
10
THU
MOON--:--
Full moon
Up all night and fully lit — bright sky, nothing faint gets through.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.
25
FRI
MOON--:--
New moon
No Moon in the night sky: the darkest week of the month.
Moon
+−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

4
SAT
MOON--:--
First quarter
Half lit and high in the evening — the best week for lunar craters.
Moon ON THE MAP
+−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.

123 events for the 18 months from today, 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 38 close approaches come from NASA/JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, as they stood on 2026-08-30, and cover passes inside 20 lunar distances from 2026-07-31 through 2028-04-01. Unlike everything else on this page they cannot be computed from an ephemeris here — a newly discovered asteroid has no orbit until somebody measures one — so they are as complete as that date and no more.

[

COMMON QUESTIONS

] 10 ANSWERED

Why is there not an eclipse every month?: Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Earth's, so at most new moons its shadow passes above or below us and misses. Eclipses arrive in seasons roughly twice a year, when the two orbital planes happen to line up with the Sun.
What fixes the date of a meteor shower?: Where the Earth is in its orbit, not the calendar. A shower is the Earth crossing a stream of dust a comet left behind, so the peak falls at the same point in the orbit every year and drifts by a few hours against the clock — which is why the dates here are solved rather than looked up.
Why are moon phases on a list of events?: Because moonlight decides what else is worth chasing. A full moon costs several magnitudes of faint detail across the whole sky, so the fortnight around new moon is when meteors, galaxies and nebulae actually repay the trip outside.
What is an opposition, and why is it the night to look?: Opposition is the moment an outer planet sits opposite the Sun from Earth, so it rises at sunset, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It falls close to the planet's nearest approach as well, which makes it the biggest and brightest that planet gets in the year.
What are the equinoxes and solstices, exactly?: The four instants at which the Sun reaches its furthest north, its furthest south, or crosses the celestial equator between the two. They are moments rather than days, and they are the same moment everywhere on Earth — which is why one of them can fall on a different date depending on your time zone.
How close does a listed flyby come?: Inside twenty lunar distances, which is about eight million kilometres. That is close by the standards of the Solar System and by no other standard at all: nothing on this list is a hazard, and the orbits are known accurately enough to say so well in advance.
Do I need to say where I am?: Not for the dates. An eclipse maximum, a shower peak or an opposition is the same instant everywhere. For whether the event clears your horizon at a sensible hour — and, for a solar eclipse, for whether you are standing inside a track a few hundred kilometres wide — the answer does depend on where you are, and the page will ask if you want it.
How far ahead can any of this be predicted?: Centuries, for anything driven by the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets: the ephemeris behind them holds up over far longer than a lifetime, and eclipse dates thousands of years out are routine. Meteor showers are the exception — the dates are firm and the strength is not, because it depends on how the dust happens to be distributed along the stream.
Why do the times differ by a few minutes from other sources?: Usually because a different thing is being timed. A shower peak is a broad maximum rather than an instant and different authorities quote it differently; a phase or an eclipse can be given in different time scales. Everything here comes from one ephemeris and is stated in one scale, so the events are at least consistent with each other.
Can I get these into my own calendar?: Yes. The whole window is published as a subscribable feed, so the events appear in whatever calendar application you already use and follow the solutions as they are recomputed.

Sky calendar

Coming up

The Moon 46′ from Jupiter

New moon

(2026 OH3) passes at 12.3 lunar distances

September 2026

The Moon 46′ from Jupiter

New moon

(2026 OH3) passes at 12.3 lunar distances

September equinox

Neptune at opposition

Full moon

October 2026

Last quarter

Saturn at opposition

The Moon 1.1° from Mars

The Moon 10′ from Jupiter

Draconids at maximum

Southern Taurids at maximum

New moon

Orionids at maximum

Full moon

(2025 UK9) passes at 0.8 lunar distances

November 2026

Last quarter

The Moon 58′ from Mars

524522 Zoozve (2002 VE68) passes at 15.7 lunar distances

The Moon 29′ from Jupiter

New moon

Northern Taurids at maximum

Mars and Jupiter 1.2° apart

Leonids at maximum

Full moon

Uranus at opposition

The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter

December 2026

Last quarter

(2016 NV) passes at 14.3 lunar distances

New moon

Geminids at maximum

First quarter

December solstice

Ursids at maximum

Full moon

The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter

Last quarter

January 2027

Quadrantids at maximum

New moon

First quarter

Full moon

The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter

February 2027

Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)

New moon

The Moon 19′ from Mercury

Jupiter at opposition

First quarter

Mars at opposition

The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter

Penumbral lunar eclipse

Full moon

March 2027

New moon

First quarter

506074 Svarog (2015 UM67) passes at 19.0 lunar distances

The Moon 52′ from Jupiter

March equinox

Full moon

April 2027

New moon

First quarter

The Moon 55′ from Jupiter

Lyrids at maximum

May 2027

η Aquariids at maximum

New moon

Venus and Saturn 36′ apart

The Moon 1.2° from Jupiter

First quarter