2nd Draft -see the website gpclements.com or the sites on the back side of this page for updates after January 7, 2026
January 3 Today, the Earth is closest to the Sun for the year. (Cold temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are due to the tilt of Earth's axis. The Sun is lower in the sky at Noon in Winter than at Noon in the Summer.)
January 3 Full Moon -"Supermoon." The Moon will appear slightly larger and brighter in the sky as the Moon will be at a point in its orbit slightly closer to the Earth than its average distance.
January 3,4 Quadrantids Meteor Shower Meteors appear to come from Constellation Bootes. Up to 40 meteors per
hour. View after midnight. The Full Moon will hinder viewing meteors. Dress warmly!
January 10 Jupiter Opposition (opposite side of Earth compared to Sun) … Jupiter is closest to Earth, and brightest,
for the year. It is visible all night long. View it in the eastern sky at sunset and in the southern sky at midnight. The angular size of Jupiter on the sky will be about 46 arcseconds ...the largest for the year.
January 18 New Moon
February is tentative month for launch of Artemis mission with 4 astronauts to circle the Moon (not land) and return
February 1 Full Moon
February 2 After 8 p.m. The Moon is close to the star Regulus on the sky (closest 8:48 p.m.) – low in eastern sky
February 17 New Moon
February 19 Mercury is about 18 degrees east (left) of Sun in the sky. Low in the western sky shortly after sunset.
February 23 After 7 p.m. The Moon is near the Pleiades star cluster on the sky (closest 8:43 p.m.) – high in SW sky
February 28 After sunset Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Moon, Jupiter visible on an arc across the sky – Venus is very low on the west horizon (Uranus and Neptune also above horizon-view in telescope)
March 3 Full Moon
March 3 Total Lunar Eclipse for 56 minutes The Moon will be in the SW to West location on the sky.
Partial Eclipse Begins Total Eclipse Begins Middle of Total Eclipse
CANTON, OH 4:50 a.m. EST 6:04 a.m. 6:33 a.m. sunrise is at 6:56 a.m.
OMAHA, NE 3:50 a.m. CST 5:04 a.m. 5:33 a.m.
PORTLAND, OR 1:50 a.m. PST 3:04 a.m. 3:33 a.m. Portland has best view of these 3.
March 8 Beginning of Daylight Savings Time
March 8 Shortly after sunset – Venus and Saturn near each other on the sky, low, near the western horizon
March 10 Jupiter ends retrograde motion (westward motion on the sky through the starfield)
March 18 New Moon
March 20 March Equinox ... 12 hours of night, 12 hours of daylight for all points on Earth. This is the start of Spring for
the Northern Hemisphere. Actual Equinox time is March 20 at 9:45 a.m. CDT as the Sun crosses the projection of the Earth’s equator on the sky as the Sun slowly moves from the south towards the north on the sky.
April 1 Full Moon
April 5 Easter … Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after March 21st. This rule was set by the church in 325 A.D. But followers of “Orthodox Christianity” use a different calendar. The latest date for Easter is April 25th (this occurred in 1943, and will occur again in 2038).
April 17 New Moon
April 19 After sunset view the Moon, Pleiades star cluster, and Venus in the western sky
April 22,23 Lyrids Meteor Shower- about 20 meteors/hour if you view from a dark location. Meteors appear to come from the Lyra constellation. Observe after midnight. The Waxing Crescent Moon will not interfere with viewing meteors.
May 1 Full Moon
May 6,7 Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower - about 20 meteors/hour if you have a dark sky. Meteors appear to come from Aquarius. Observe around midnight. The Waning Gibbous Moon will hinder observing meteors after midnight.
May 16 New Moon
May 22 After 11 p.m. The Moon is near the star Regulus on the sky (closest May 23 12:41 a.m. ) – low in the west
May 31 Full Moon Some will call this a “Blue Moon” because it is the second Full Moon in May (not for its color).
June 9 After sunset, before 10 p.m. Venus, Jupiter near each other, low, in western sky, altitude 18 degrees at 9:45
June 14 New Moon
June 15 Mercury is at a large angle (about 25 degrees) east (left) of Sun in the sky. View it low in the western sky shortly after sunset.
June 21 June Solstice, Start of Summer for Northern Hemisphere. Start of Winter for S. Hemisphere. Greatest length of daylight hours for N. Hemisphere. The Sun is at its northernmost point on the sky at Noon as viewed from Earth, 23.5 degrees north of the projection of the Earth’s equator on the sky.
June 29 Full Moon
July Sometime this month the Griffin Mission One is planned to launch with the goal of landing a rover on the Moon
July 6 The Earth is at its farthest point from the Sun for the year. (Warm temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are due to the tilt of Earth's axis. The Sun is higher in the sky at Noon in July than in January.)
July 14 New Moon
July 26 Saturn begins retrograde motion (westward motion through the starfield)
July 29 Full Moon
August Sometime this month the Chang’e 7 (China) is planned to launch to the Moon with the goal of landing near the South Pole of the Moon to search for water ice
August 12 New Moon
August 12 Total Solar Eclipse visible from Greenland, Iceland, Northern Spain in the late afternoon. But, Total Eclipse lasts about two minutes. Not visible in the USA. August 2, 2027 solar eclipse will have 6+ minutes of totality.
August 12,13 Perseid Meteor Shower - Up to 50 meteors per hour if you have a dark sky. Meteors appear to come from
the Perseus constellation. Observe after midnight. The Moon will not interfere with viewing.
August 15 Venus is at a large angle (about 46 degrees) east (left) of Sun in the sky. View it high in the west after sunset.
August 20 After 9 p.m. The Moon is near the star Antares on the sky (closest at 10:18 p.m.) -- low on SW horizon
August 27 Full Moon
August 27 Partial Lunar Eclipse - 93% of the Moon will be in Earth’s shadow. Find location with view of East horizon.
Partial Eclipse Begins Maximum Eclipse
CANTON, OH 10:33 p.m. EDT August 27 12:12 a.m. on Aug 28 Canton has best view of these 3.
OMAHA, NE 9:33 p.m. CDT 11:12 p.m.
PORTLAND OR Moonrise at 7:49 p.m. PDT 9:12 p.m. PDT Moon is low in the East.
September 10 New Moon
September 22 September Equinox, 12 hours of night, 12 hours of daylight, Start of Fall for Northern Hemisphere
September 26 Full Moon
October 4 Saturn Opposition … Saturn is closest to Earth, and brightest, for the year. It is visible all night long. View it in the eastern sky at sunset and in the southern sky at midnight.
October 10 New Moon
October 12 Mercury is almost 20 degrees east (left) of Sun in the sky. View it low in the western sky shortly after sunset.
October 21,22 Orionid Meteor Shower - perhaps 20 meteors per hour if you have a dark sky. View after midnight. Meteors will appear to come from the Orion constellation. The light from the Moon will interfere a little.
October 25 Full Moon
October 27 After 8 p.m. The Moon is near the Pleiades star cluster on the sky – look in the eastern sky, near horizon
November 1 End of Daylight Savings Time in USA if that system is in use, Set clocks back one hour Saturday night.
November 9 New Moon
November 16 after 12:30 a.m. on the 17th…. Mars is near Jupiter – both are near the eastern horizon
November 17,18 Leonid Meteor Shower - Up to 15 meteors per hour if your sky is dark. Meteors appear to come from
the constellation of Leo. View after midnight. The light from the Moon will interfere a little with viewing.
November 24 Full Moon -"Supermoon." The Moon will appear slightly larger and brighter in the sky as the Moon will be at a point in its orbit slightly closer to the Earth than its average distance.
December 8 New Moon
December 10 Saturn ends retrograde motion (westward through starfield) and resumes prograde motion (eastward)
December 12 Jupiter begins retrograde motion (westward motion through the starfield)
December 13,14 Geminids Meteor Shower - up to 50 meteors/hour if you have a dark sky. Meteors seem to come from
the Gemini constellation. View after midnight. The light from the Moon will not interfere with viewing.
December 21 December Solstice – This date has the shortest amount of daylight for observers in the Northern
Hemisphere. Start of Winter for Northern Hemisphere. The Sun is at its lowest point in the sky at Noon as viewed from Earth, 23.5 degrees below the projection of the earth’s equator on the sky.
December 23 Full Moon -"Supermoon." The Moon will appear slightly larger and brighter in the sky as the Moon will be at a point in its orbit slightly closer to the Earth than its average distance.
This list was assembled by Greg Clements. Sources: seasky.org, timeanddate.com, nakedeyeplanets.com, in-the-sky.org, www.astropixels.com/almanac/almanac21/almanac2026cst.html, universetoday.com, planetary.org
Astronomy videos on YouTube, indexed at astronomy.gpclements.com Free, no registration Physics videos on YouTube, indexed at physics.gpclements.com Free, no registration The physics videos (about 360) are for an introductory physics class. The astronomy videos (about 200) include videos for the general public and educational videos.
This sky calendar can be freely accessed and printed at astronomy.gpclements.com . -maybe revised after January 7, 2026