Nov 4–5night of
Meteor shower
Southern Taurids peak
Slow, bright meteors and occasional fireballs. Active Sep 20 to Nov 20. The fireball-swarm component peaks Nov 5.
Events
Coming up in the sky
Meteor showers, eclipses, conjunctions, oppositions and other sky events from November 2026 to March 2027. Dates are UTC unless noted. Meteor shower dates are the night of the peak. Exact times and what you can see from your location are calculated in the Orbit app.
November 2026
Nov 11–12night of
Meteor shower
Northern Taurids peak
A few slow meteors per hour, with a chance of fireballs. Active Oct 20 to Dec 10.
Nov 15Sun
ConjunctionBeing confirmed
Jupiter and Mars, about 1° apart
Closest on Nov 15 in the predawn sky. The pair looks close for a few mornings before and after.
Confirm separation and closest-approach time with JPL Horizons.
Nov 16–18night of
Meteor shower
Leonids peak
Best over the nights of Nov 16 to 18, with about 15 meteors per hour under dark skies. Best after midnight, looking east. Active Nov 6 to 30.
Nov 20Fri
ConjunctionBeing confirmed
Moon passes Saturn
The Moon and Saturn appear close together in the evening sky.
Separation not given. Calculate with JPL Horizons.
Nov 24Tue
Moon
Beaver Moon (supermoon)
A full Moon near perigee, so slightly larger and brighter than average. The difference is hard to see by eye. Date shown in UTC. Check the date in your own time zone, since in the Americas the full Moon may fall on the evening before.
December 2026
Dec 13–14night of
Meteor shower
Geminids peak
The strongest shower of the year, up to about 120 meteors per hour under ideal skies. Good from about 10 PM until dawn. Active Dec 4 to 17.
Dec 18Fri
ConjunctionBeing confirmed
Moon passes Saturn
The Moon and Saturn appear close together in the evening sky.
Separation not given. Calculate with JPL Horizons.
Dec 21Mon
SeasonBeing confirmed
December solstice
Longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Add the exact UTC time from an almanac or Horizons.
Dec 21–22night of
Meteor showerBeing confirmed
Ursids peak
Typically 5 to 10 meteors per hour, radiating from near the Little Dipper. Active Dec 17 to 26.
AMS gives Dec 21-22. Farmers' Almanac gives Dec 22-23.
Dec 24Thu
Moon
Cold Moon (supermoon)
A full Moon near perigee on Christmas Eve. Date shown in UTC. Check the date in your own time zone, since in the Americas the full Moon may fall on the evening before.
January 2027
Jan 3Sun
Other
Earth at perihelion
Earth is at its closest point to the Sun for the year.
Jan 3–4night of
Meteor shower
Quadrantids peak
About 25 meteors per hour under dark skies, with a short, sharp peak predicted near 03:30 UTC on Jan 4. Active Dec 28 to Jan 12.
Jan 3Sun
PlanetBeing confirmed
Venus at greatest elongation west
Venus is at its farthest from the Sun in the morning sky. The Moon passes Venus the same morning.
Single source. Check with JPL Horizons.
Jan 24–25night of
ConjunctionBeing confirmed
Moon passes Jupiter and Mars
The Moon appears near Jupiter and then Mars over two nights.
Single source. Calculate separations with JPL Horizons.
February 2027
Feb 3Wed
PlanetBeing confirmed
Mercury at greatest elongation east
Mercury's best evening showing of the season, low in the west after sunset.
Single source. Check with JPL Horizons.
Feb 6Sat
Eclipse
Annular solar eclipse
Greatest eclipse at 16:00 UTC, magnitude 0.928. Use proper solar filters at every stage.
Feb 11Thu
PlanetBeing confirmed
Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter is opposite the Sun, up all night and at its brightest for the year.
Single source. Check with JPL Horizons.
Feb 19Fri
PlanetBeing confirmed
Mars at opposition
Mars is opposite the Sun, up all night and at its brightest for this apparition.
Single source. Check with JPL Horizons.
Feb 20Sat
EclipseBeing confirmed
Penumbral lunar eclipse
Greatest eclipse at 23:13 UTC. The Moon only enters Earth's faint outer shadow (penumbral magnitude 0.93), so expect a subtle shading on one side of the Moon. The same night the Moon passes Jupiter, and occults it from some locations.
Confirm visible regions and the Jupiter occultation path before release.
March 2027
Mar 17Wed
PlanetBeing confirmed
Mercury at greatest elongation west
Mercury low in the east before sunrise.
Single source. Check with JPL Horizons.
Mar 20Sat
SeasonBeing confirmed
March equinox
Day and night are close to equal length worldwide.
Add the exact UTC time.
Mar 31Wed
ConjunctionBeing confirmed
Jupiter and Mars close together
Jupiter and Mars pass close to each other in the evening sky.
Single source. Calculate separation with JPL Horizons.