Unlike some planes, trains and buses, heavenly bodies tend to show up on time.
Astronomers know years — and even decades — in advance when major astronomical events will take place. NASA already has the schedule for lunar and solar eclipses through the 30th century.
“Our lives are ruled by unpredictability and by chaos,” said Paul Sutter, a cosmologist and author. “But the night sky is so regular and predictable, you can literally count on it.”
Every year, our solar system showcases several wondrous spectacles. Last April, millions of people from Mexico to Newfoundland stood, flew or cruised in the path of a total solar eclipse.
“It’s like the Olympics,” said Sutter, who experienced the minutes-long darkness with about 70,000 spectators in Indianapolis. “It happens often enough that you recognize it, and you have to be willing to move around.”
This year, in addition to two total lunar and two partial solar eclipses, an interstellar comet named 3I/ATLAS visited from another solar system. First sighted in Chile in July, the comet veered within 168 million miles of Earth on Dec. 19.
Heading into 2026, professional and amateur skywatchers are marking several astronomical phenomena on their calendars. Also next year, the International Dark Sky Discovery Center is scheduled to open in Fountain Hills, Arizona, an International Dark Sky Community. With growing concerns over light pollution, the nonprofit attraction will explore the importance of preserving dark skies with an observatory, planetarium, theater, exhibition hall and interactive learning stations.
Astronomers suggest traveling to a destination far from city lights and skyscrapers, such as a dark-sky preserve or national park, and switching off your phone, which can disrupt your night vision.
Check local astronomy clubs, NASA’s Night Sky Network or natural history or science institutions such as the National Air and Space Museum for special stargazing events and star parties.
2026 solar eclipse
If you missed the 2024 solar eclipse because of stratospheric hotel rates or sold-out flights and cruises, 2026 could be the year of redemption.
On Aug. 12, the moon will completely blot out the sun across Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small area of Portugal, according to NASA.
As a consolation prize, other parts of Europe, plus Africa, North America and the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific oceans, will experience a partial eclipse covering about 90 percent of the sun.
“Lunar eclipses are easier to see because the whole night side of the Earth can see it,” said Shauna Edson, an astronomy educator with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, “but the star of the show is absolutely going be the total solar eclipse in August.”
Dozens of tour operators and cruise lines, such as Intrepid Travel, Smithsonian Journeys, Astro Trails and Lindblad Expeditions, are organizing solar eclipse trips in Greenland and Europe and on the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
For independent eclipse-chasers, Visit Iceland has rounded up some of the best viewing spots, including the Westfjords, Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Reykjanes Peninsula and the Reykjavík area.
Dania Wright, education director at the International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Arizona, said the longest period of totality on land will occur at Látrabjarg, seabird cliffs in the western region of the Nordic country.
“Start prepping: Iceland will be sold out,” the country’s tourism office warns.
Blood Moon
On March 3, Earth will insert itself between the sun and moon, the only total lunar eclipse of the year. The moon, cloaked in the Earth’s shadow and suffused with filtered sunlight, will glow red or orange.
The full Blood Moon will appear in East Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands and the Americas, according to NASA. In North America, Sutter said to go west, from Northern California to Alaska and Vancouver.
Timing-wise, Edson said sky-gazers in Asia and Australia can see the whole eclipse in the hours after sunset. Hawaii will experience totality around 1 a.m. local time; viewers in western North America will have to set their alarms for the wee hours.
East Coasters, Edson said, can glimpse totality in the predawn hours — or wait until June 26, 2029, when the lunar eclipse will more be more conveniently placed and timed.
On Aug. 27-28, Wright said North America will be treated to a partial lunar eclipse with 96 percent coverage. Depending on the dust and clouds in the atmosphere, she said the color can shift from deep rust to bright copper.
If you happen to be on a cruise around Antarctica on Feb. 17, look up for the annular solar eclipse, when the moon partially shields the sun and becomes encircled in a “ring of fire.”
March of the planets
Planet parades — the alignment or arc of several planets in one night — occur every year and often stick around in some type of formation for days or weeks. This spring, five planets marched across the sky, four of which (Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars) were discernible to the naked eye, Edson said.
In late February, six planets plus the moon will fan out across the sky. Though the sunset glare could wash out Venus and Mercury, Edson said Saturn will be visible on a western horizon clear of such obstructions as trees and buildings. To see Neptune and Uranus, bring a telescope. To find Jupiter, look for the moon, its buddy.
“It’s not quite going to a pearl necklace across the sky,” she said, “but it’s still a cool thing to know those planets are all there.”
For an eyeful, ditch urban locales for more rural areas with no light pollution or vertical obstructions, such as trees or tall buildings.
If the weather is not optimal, try again on Aug. 12. The six-planet parade, with Mars replacing Venus, will kick off one of the busiest days for astro-tourists.
“This is a triple-threat day,” Wright said. “It will feature another planetary alignment in the morning, the total solar eclipse in the afternoon and the Perseid meteor shower peaking in the evening.”
Summer meteor showers
The Perseid meteor shower, a summertime ritual, typically bedazzles the sky from mid-July to late August. Similar to planet parades, you’ll want to avoid light pollution and busy skylines. They appear in both hemispheres but are more vivid in the northern half.
With a new moon on Aug. 12, the bright squiggles and exploding fireballs will burn especially bright against the black velvet backdrop. NASA said 50 to 100 meteoroids can whiz by per hour, especially during the peak times of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Wright’s pick for a meteor shower is Geminid, which reaches its apogee on Dec. 14. If the sky is pitch dark, she said viewers can see upward of 120 meteors per hour. And they don’t need to pull an all-nighter.
“It offers the most reliable viewing prior to midnight,” Wright said.
A deep space launch
After the 2022 successful test run of Artemis I, the first integrated flight of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems, the agency is planning to send four astronauts into space sometime between February and April for Artemis II.
During the 10-day mission, the team will orbit the moon to test systems and equipment for future moon walks and Mars expeditions.
“The Artemis II astronauts are traveling farther than any humans have since the last visit to the moon on Apollo 17 in 1972, more than 50 years ago,” Edson said.
The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Florida’s Space Coast. Check the center’s website for Artemis II launch-viewing packages.
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