10 breathtaking celestial spectacles that skywatchers must not miss in 2026

Skywatchers are truly in luck, as they’ll get to witness a celestial spectacle that happens "once in a blue moon." May 2026 will feature a second full moon, and when two full moons occur in a single calendar month, the second is traditionally termed a "Blue Moon". However, despite its name, the Moon will not actually appear blue in color.

Such an occurrence is rather rare and takes place roughly once every two to three calendar years. This happens because our 365-day calendar year does not align perfectly with the 354-day lunar cycle. May 2026 will see its first full moon on May 1, followed by the Blue Moon on May 31. Notably, because of this extra lunar event, this year will have a total of 13 full moons instead of the usual 12.

In the picture, Bill Ingalls captured the Blue Moon over Cincinnati on August 12, 2012.

Two of the brightest planets of our Solar System will appear in the night sky very close to each other next month. Skywatchers can spot Venus and Jupiter on June 8 and 9 when the planets will appear just a pinky finger's width away from each other on the night sky.

This image shows Venus, the crescent Moon, and Jupiter together in the night sky above Salt Lake City, captured on January 31, 2019.

The Sun is set to reach its northernmost point along the ecliptic on June 21 at 8:25 UTC (3:25 AM CDT), marking this year's June or Summer Solstice. At this exact moment in time, the Sun will be positioned on the celestial Tropic of Cancer, which sits 23.5 degrees north of the celestial equator. Because Earth's axis is tilted at roughly 23.5 degrees, the Summer Solstice marks the time when the Northern Hemisphere is angled most directly toward our host star. Consequently, the Northern Hemisphere experiences its longest day and shortest night of the year during the solstice, while the exact opposite is true for the Southern Hemisphere.

The image shows the contrast in Earth’s tilt between December (left) and June (right), which was captured by NASA's Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s DSCOVR satellite in December 2018 and June 2019.

July and August will witness the Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids meteor showers. While the southern Delta Aquariids will be active between July 12 and August 23, 2026, the peak viewing time will be around July 30-31. However, because the Moon will be nearly full during this peak, these faint meteors might not be visible due to the bright moonlight. The Alpha Capricornids shower, meanwhile, will be active from July 3 to August 15, 2026. Visible from both hemispheres, this shower typically produces a rate of up to 5 meteors per hour. However, it is famous for producing bright, slow-moving fireballs, which have a much better chance of being visible through the bright moonlight.

This picture from 2002 shows 96P Machholz, the suspected comet of origin for the Delta Aquariids. The comet orbits the Sun every 6 years.

The Perseids meteor shower will reach its predicted peak on August 13, 2026, at 14:53 UTC, with the intervening night of August 12 and 13 offering the best viewing window. Ideal for observing under a dark sky, the Perseids this year will coincide with the new Moon on August 12, offering near-perfect viewing conditions. Because bright moonlight will not obscure the fainter shooting stars, viewing conditions will heavily favor skywatchers, who can potentially see 90-100 meteors streaking across the night sky per hour. 

The image shows a 2024 snap of the Perseids meteor shower across the sky at the Inyo National Forest in Bishop, California.

A total solar eclipse is slated to take place on August 12, 2026, with the path of totality—where observers can spot the Sun being completely blocked by the Moon—spanning across Russia, Iceland, Spain, Greenland, and some parts of Portugal. A partial solar eclipse, meanwhile, will be visible across a much broader area, including the rest of Europe, North America, and Africa, as well as over regions of the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans. Interestingly, the August 12 eclipse will mark the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe since 1999.

The image captures a total solar eclipse visible from Dallas back on April 8, 2024.

This year, on September 23, the Sun will be directly above Earth's equator, marking the September Equinox. The exact time for the equinox to occur in 2026 is 00:06 UTC (19:06 CDT on September 22). As the Sun crosses the celestial equator, it will move from north to south, signalling the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, and the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

The image captures the Earth in a full disk view taken by the GOES 16, GOES East, during a vernal equinox.

The Draconid meteor shower, historically known as the Giacobinids, is predicted to reach its peak on October 9, 2026, at 1:00 UTC. Unlike most meteor showers that are best viewed in the early morning hours before dawn, the Draconids are unique. Because their radiant point (in the constellation Draco) stands highest in the sky just after nightfall, the best time to watch this shower is during the early evening hours of October 8. Observers are in luck this year as well, as the shower's peak coincides with a waning crescent moon that won't rise until the early morning, leaving the evening skies dark. Under these ideal, moonless conditions, skywatchers can expect to spot around 10 meteors per hour.

The image beautifully captures the Draconid meteor shower over the Celtic ruins of Capote in Badajoz province in Spain.

The Geminid meteor shower, widely considered the most spectacular meteor shower of the year, is active between November 19 and December 24. Because its radiant (in the constellation Gemini) rises in the mid-evening, skywatchers can begin to enjoy the phenomenon earlier in the night than most other showers. However, the absolute best viewing will be on the night of December 13 into the early morning of December 14, 2026. While highly specific peak times are sometimes predicted, the Geminids famously have a broad maximum lasting over 24 hours, meaning excellent rates will be visible throughout the night. Observers are in luck this year: a waxing crescent moon will set early in the evening, leaving perfectly dark skies for the peak. Under these ideal conditions, skywatchers could spot up to 120 (and sometimes up to 150) meteors per hour, especially around 2:00 AM when the radiant is highest in the sky.

The image captures more than 100 meteors during the Geminid meteor shower peak in 2014.

2026 is an amazing year for watching supermoons, featuring a total of eight supermoons throughout the year. Because five of these are "new" supermoons (which are invisible from Earth), skywatchers will be treated to exactly three full supermoons. The final one of these spectacular full supermoons will be visible on December 24, 2026. According to astrophysicist Fred Espenak’s full supermoon table, the Moon's distance during this December 24 event is calculated at a remarkably close 356,740 kilometers.

The image shows a supermoon total lunar eclipse near the Colorado State Capitol building back on September 27, 2015.