2026 Guide To Meteors, ‘Blood Moon,’ Supermoons And More Celestial Events

Supermoons will open and close 2026, a “blood moon” will rise during a time favored for heightened aurora borealis displays, and it’s shaping up to be an exceptional year for the Perseids, the top shooting star show of the year.

These and other celestial events will make 2026 a stellar year for stargazers.

Below are celestial events to get on the calendar.

A Bright Start To 2026

A supermoon, the fourth in a series that began in October 2025, kicks off the new year on Saturday, Jan. 3. It will rise alongside Jupiter to create a bright celestial show.

The giant planet will be exceptionally bright throughout January. Jupiter will be at opposition on Jan. 10 — that is, it will make its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun.

It will be brighter than at any other time of the year. It will rise around sunset and shine all night long in the constellation Gemini. Jupiter will be visible with the naked eye, but a medium-sized telescope may reveal details in the planet’s cloud bands. With binoculars only, Jupiter’s four largest moons should be visible.

When a full moon occurs at perigee, its closest point to Earth, it is a supermoon, appearing up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a typical full moon.

A “moon illusion” will also be in play. Although the moon’s actual size remains constant, it can look larger when it is low to the horizon. Moonrise is around sunset, which is the best time to catch dramatic views of the moon.

The timing of January’s full moon, traditionally called the “wolf moon” in reference to the increased vocalizations of wolves during the winter, is unfortunate for stargazers.

The wolf supermoon coincides with the peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower, which is often overlooked because its narrow peak occurs during what is typically one of the coldest months of the year.

This meteor shower peaks overnight Jan. 3-4. This year, NASA predicts only about 10 meteors will be seen due to competition from the wolf supermoon. The shooting star show is known for bright fireballs — explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak, and some of them may break through the moonlight.

Under perfect dark sky conditions with no moonlight, about 60 to as many as 200 Quadrantid meteors can be seen per hour from this shower, believed to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet discovered in 2003.

When To See The ‘Blood Moon’

A total lunar eclipse on March 3 will paint the moon in a rust-colored hue in a phenomenon known as a “blood moon.”

When Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, its shadow completely envelops the lunar surface, casting it in a coppery glow. The shorter blue wavelengths of sunlight are scattered by Earth’s atmosphere, while the longer red and orange wavelengths are bent through it, casting the reddish light onto the moon.

A less dramatic partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27-28 will be visible in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Western Asia. During a partial lunar eclipse, the moon dips into Earth’s dark shadow, or umbra, and appears to take a bite from it.

Barring travel abroad to Spain, Russia or Iceland, we won’t see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12. Alaska will see a partial solar eclipse on this date.

‘Once In A Blue Moon’

May will have two full moons, the second qualifying as a “blue moon.” This rare calendar event only happens every few years, which gave rise to the term, “once in a blue moon.”

Also, the full harvest moon is in September this year. The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox is known as a harvest moon.

The full harvest moon occurs in October about once every three years. When that happens, the September full moon is often called the “corn moon” because it occurs at the time of year corn is ready for harvest.

Here are the full moons and the nicknames given them by Native American populations and early settlers:

• Jan. 3: Full wolf supermoon
• Feb. 1: Full snow moon
• March 3: Full worm moon
• April 3: Full pink moon
• May 1: Full flower moon
• May 31: Full blue moon
• June 29: Full strawberry moon
• July 29: Full buck moon
• Aug. 28: Full sturgeon moon
• Sept. 26: Full harvest moon
• Oct. 26: Full hunters moon
• Nov. 24: Full beaver supermoon
• Dec. 23: Full cold supermoon

Jupiter, along with Saturn, will both appear high near December’s cold supermoon, creating a triple celestial treat to close out the year.

The term supermoon didn’t come from astronomy. Rather, astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term in 1979, defining a supermoon as a new or full moon that occurs when it is at its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit, making it appear bigger and brighter.

“Interestingly, nobody paid much attention to Nolle's definition until March 19, 2011, when the full moon arrived at an exceptionally close perigee, coming within 126 miles (203 kilometers) of its closest possible approach to Earth,” Joe Rao wrote for Space.com.

Until Nolle “branded” the supermoon, astronomers called the full moon that coincided with perigee as a “perigean full moon,” and it passed without notice.

“Now,” Rao continued, “it seems that every time a full moon coincides with perigee, it is referred to as a supermoon.”

When To See Top Meteor Showers

Sandwiched between the Quadrantids that ring in 2026 and the winter holiday season peak of the Geminids, one of the year’s best shooting star shows, are nearly a dozen other meteor showers on the year’s celestial calendar.

Lyrids, April 21-23: This show runs from April 14-26. The Lyrids produce about 18 meteors an hour at the peak, but they’re known for bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The Lyrids are produced by dust particles left behind by the comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Lunar influence is expected to be minimal in 2026.

Eta Aquariids, May 5-6: This meteor shower runs from April 19-May 28. In the Northern Hemisphere, about 30 Eta Aquariid meteors can be seen per hour during the shower’s peak. They’re fast meteors that leave glowing “trains” (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes. Comet Haley is the parent of this meteor shower, which has been observed since ancient times. This year, a nearly full moon could reduce the number of visible meteors to about 10.

Southern Delta Aquariids, July 30-31: This shower runs from July 12-Aug. 23 and produces about 20 meteors an hour at the peak. The shower is produced by debris left behind by the comets Marsden and Kracht. A 98 percent full moon at the peak is likely to make this meteor shower a bust.

The Southern Delta Aquariids peak coincides with the peak of the Alpha Capricornids, also on July 30-31: This shower is active from July 3-Aug.15, with a “plateau-like” maximum at the peak. It isn’t a particularly strong shower and rarely produces more than five shooting stars an hour, but what is notable is the number of bright fireballs produced during the peak. Again, the nearly full moon will be a problem.

Perseids, Aug. 12-13: Famous for producing a large number of fireballs, the Perseids meteor shower is regarded as the best of the year. The shower runs July 17-Aug. 24 and generally produces around 50 shooting stars an hour at the peak. The moon is new on Aug. 12, meaning there will be no moonlight to interfere with the show. The shower, discovered in 1862, is produced by the comet 109/P Swift-Tuttle.

Draconids, Oct. 9: This short meteor shower running from Oct. 6-10, sometimes called the Giacobinid meteor shower in honor of the astronomer who discovered the comet that produces it, passes almost without notice most years with only a smattering of meteors. A new moon will provide dark skies, and about 10 meteors may be seen under ideal conditions. Outburst are rare, but have produced hundreds of meteors an hour in 1933 and 1946. This shower differs from others in that it peaks in the early evening.

Orionids, Oct. 21-22: The Orionid meteor shower, which runs Oct. 7-Nov. 7, produces about 23 meteors an hour but is considered one of the most beautiful shooting star shows of the year. The meteors are both bright and fast, entering Earth’s atmosphere at about 148,000 miles per hour. Meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — that is, incandescent bits of debris that can last several seconds or even minutes — and also fireballs. The moon will be about 80 percent full at the peak.

Taurids, Nov. 4-5 and Nov. 11-12: This long-running meteor shower that rambles along from Sept. 20 to Dec. 10 is unique in that it consists of two separate streams. The Southern Taurids are a complex meteor shower composed of two primary elements: an annual component peaking on Oct. 14 and a fireball swarm component peaking on Nov. 4-5. The Northern Taurids, which peak Nov. 11-12, are similar, and when the two showers are active simultaneously in late October and November, there is often a notable increase in fireball activity.

Leonids, Nov. 16-17: The Leonids meteor shower runs Nov. 6-30, and puts on an average show of about 15 meteors an hour. The moon will be about half full at the peak. During cyclonic peaks occurring about every 33 years, hundreds of meteors an hour can be seen. It happened last in 2001, putting us years away from a similar show from this shower created by dust grains left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, discovered in 1865.

Geminids, Dec. 13-14: Meteor experts say the Geminid meteor shower is hands-down the best in the heavens, producing 120 meteors at the peak. The meteors are bright, fast and yellowish. Produced by debris left behind by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, discovered in 1982, it runs from Dec. 4-17.

Ursids, Dec.21-22: This minor meteor shower runs Dec. 16-26 and offers about five or 10 shooting stars an hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 8P/Tuttle, discovered in 1790. Moonlight should be minimal, offering a decent chance of seeing meteors.

When Are Equinoxes And Solstices?

Equinoxes and solstices mark the changing of the seasons. Solstices are the longest and shortest days of the year, while equinoxes occur when day and night are nearly equally long.

• The spring equinox occurs at 10:46 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 20.
• The summer solstice occurs at 4:24 a.m. EDT on Sunday, June 21.
• The autumn equinox occurs at 8:04 p.m.EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
• The winter solstice occurs at 3:49 p.m. EST on Monday, Dec. 21.

The chances of seeing the aurora borealis, or northern lights, generally go up around the spring and fall equinoxes. And speaking of that ...

‘Lady Aurora’ Still Dances

---

And even though the sun has reached the solar maximum peak in the 11-year Solar Cycle 25, chances remain strong that 2026 will see more stunning aurora borealis displays seen widely across the country over the past couple of years, including Deep South states.

The northern lights, as the aurora is called in the Northern Hemisphere, are triggered by powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections that increase in frequency during the solar maximum phase of the natural cycle the sun goes through in the transition between low and high magnetic activity.

Predicting when “Lady Aurora” might bathe the sky in ethereal curtains of purple, pink, green and yellow is tricky, but experts say there’s a good chance auroral activity will continue in 2026, especially between the spring and autumn equinoxes.

Solar Cycle 25 is the most active on record, and space weather forecasters aren’t quite sure why. One theory is that a longer, 100-year solar cycle hiding within the 11-year cycles is ramping up toward its maximum.

• Related: Northern Lights Ramping Up Intensity, More Chances To See Them Expected

Sources for this report are NASA, American Meteor Society, EarthSky.org, Space.com, In-the-Sky.org, SeaSky.org, The Old Farmer’s Almanac and Patch reporting.