2026 Sky Event Almanac
Central Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year . The times listed are for Central Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 6 hours) . This time zone may have different names in different countries. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. A key to astronomical terms appears below the almanac.
2026 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
Central Standard Time | ||||||||
January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date CST Event (h:m) Jan 01 15:43 Moon at Perigee: 360348 km 03 04:03 FULL MOON 03 11 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98330 AU 03 16 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 03 16:01 Jupiter 3.7°S of Moon 03 21:28 Pollux 3.0°N of Moon 06 05 Mercury at Aphelion 06 10 Venus at Superior Conjunction 06 10:20 Regulus 0.5°S of Moon 07 05:22 Moon at Descending Node 09 04 Mars in Conjunction with Sun 10 02 Jupiter at Opposition 10 09:48 LAST QUARTER MOON 10 17:50 Spica 1.6°N of Moon 13 14:48 Moon at Apogee: 405437 km 14 13:28 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 18 13:52 NEW MOON 21 10 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 21 18:03 Moon at Ascending Node 22 14 Venus at Aphelion 23 06:31 Saturn 4.3°S of Moon 25 22:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON 27 15:07 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 29 15:53 Moon at Perigee: 365878 km 30 20:31 Jupiter 3.8°S of Moon 31 07:45 Pollux 3.0°N of Moon Feb 01 16:09 FULL MOON 02 20:48 Regulus 0.4°S of Moon 03 13:18 Moon at Descending Node 07 02:26 Spica 1.8°N of Moon 09 06:43 LAST QUARTER MOON 10 10:52 Moon at Apogee: 404577 km 10 21:19 Antares 0.7°N of Moon 17 06:01 NEW MOON 17 06:12 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.963 18 00:19 Moon at Ascending Node 18 17:03 Mercury 0.1°N of Moon: Occn. 19 05 Mercury at Perihelion 19 12 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.1°E 19 17:54 Saturn 4.6°S of Moon 23 20:43 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 24 06:28 FIRST QUARTER MOON 24 17:18 Moon at Perigee: 370132 km 27 00:26 Jupiter 4.0°S of Moon 27 15:34 Pollux 3.0°N of Moon Mar 02 06:00 Regulus 0.4°S of Moon 02 22:35 Moon at Descending Node 03 05:34 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.151 03 05:38 FULL MOON 06 11:24 Spica 1.8°N of Moon 07 05 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 10 05:32 Antares 0.7°N of Moon 10 07:43 Moon at Apogee: 404385 km 11 03:39 LAST QUARTER MOON 15 13 Mercury 3.4°N of Mars 17 08:07 Mercury 2.0°N of Moon 17 09:22 Moon at Ascending Node 17 15:51 Mars 1.5°S of Moon 18 19:23 NEW MOON 20 06:39 Venus 4.6°S of Moon 20 08:46 Vernal Equinox 22 04 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 22 05:40 Moon at Perigee: 366858 km 23 02:32 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 25 02 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 25 13:18 FIRST QUARTER MOON 26 01 Mars at Perihelion: 1.38126 AU 26 06:13 Jupiter 3.9°S of Moon 26 21:18 Pollux 3.0°N of Moon 29 13:00 Regulus 0.4°S of Moon 30 05:34 Moon at Descending Node Apr 01 20:12 FULL MOON 02 19:32 Spica 1.8°N of Moon 03 17 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.8°W 06 13:21 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 07 02:32 Moon at Apogee: 404974 km 09 22:52 LAST QUARTER MOON 13 17:43 Moon at Ascending Node 15 18:45 Mars 3.7°S of Moon 17 05:52 NEW MOON 19 00:57 Moon at Perigee: 361631 km 19 02:49 Venus 4.8°S of Moon 19 10:28 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 19 13 Mars 1.2°N of Saturn 20 04 Mercury 0.5°S of Saturn 20 16 Mercury 1.7°S of Mars 22 13 Lyrid Meteor Shower 22 16:06 Jupiter 3.6°S of Moon 23 02:59 Pollux 3.2°N of Moon 23 20:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON 23 22:17 Venus 3.4°S of Pleiades 25 18:37 Regulus 0.2°S of Moon 26 08:36 Moon at Descending Node 30 02:17 Spica 1.8°N of Moon May 01 11:23 FULL MOON 03 20:20 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 04 16:30 Moon at Apogee: 405843 km 05 02 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 09 15:10 LAST QUARTER MOON 10 22:36 Moon at Ascending Node 14 08 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 14 22 Venus at Perihelion 16 14:01 NEW MOON 17 07:48 Moon at Perigee: 358074 km 18 04 Mercury at Perihelion 18 19:50 Venus 2.9°S of Moon 20 06:39 Jupiter 3.1°S of Moon 20 10:30 Pollux 3.4°N of Moon 22 10 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 23 00:41 Regulus 0.0°N of Moon 23 05:11 FIRST QUARTER MOON 23 09:26 Moon at Descending Node 27 08:09 Spica 1.9°N of Moon 31 02:32 Antares 0.4°N of Moon 31 02:45 FULL MOON 31 22:32 Moon at Apogee: 406369 km Jun 07 00:19 Moon at Ascending Node 07 10:17 Venus 4.6°S of Pollux 08 04:00 LAST QUARTER MOON 09 14 Venus 1.6°N of Jupiter 13 07:15 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 14 17:18 Moon at Perigee: 357196 km 14 20:54 NEW MOON 15 14 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.5°E 16 13:32 Mercury 2.6°S of Moon 16 20:08 Pollux 3.6°N of Moon 17 00:54 Jupiter 2.5°S of Moon 17 14:21 Venus 0.3°S of Moon: Occn. 19 08:31 Regulus 0.3°N of Moon 19 11:57 Moon at Descending Node 21 02:25 Summer Solstice 21 15:55 FIRST QUARTER MOON 23 14:11 Spica 2.2°N of Moon 25 06 Mercury 3.8°S of Jupiter 27 08:32 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 28 01:11 Moon at Apogee: 406267 km 28 12:32 Mars 4.3°S of Pleiades 29 17:57 FULL MOON |
Date CST Event (h:m) Jul 01 04 Mercury at Aphelion 04 01:51 Moon at Ascending Node 06 12 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01664 AU 07 13:29 LAST QUARTER MOON 09 08:36 Venus 0.9°N of Regulus 10 16:54 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 12 19 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 13 01:50 Moon at Perigee: 359111 km 14 03:43 NEW MOON 16 18:07 Regulus 0.5°N of Moon 16 18:27 Moon at Descending Node 17 10:31 Venus 2.0°N of Moon 20 21:21 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 21 05:06 FIRST QUARTER MOON 24 15:00 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 25 10:45 Moon at Apogee: 405549 km 28 04 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 29 06 Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun 29 08:36 FULL MOON 31 05:54 Moon at Ascending Node Aug 02 02 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.5°W 05 20:21 LAST QUARTER MOON 07 00:23 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 08 23:31 Mars 4.4°S of Moon 10 05:18 Moon at Perigee: 363288 km 10 16:38 Pollux 3.6°N of Moon 11 06:48 Mercury 2.1°S of Moon 12 11:37 NEW MOON 12 11:46 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.039 12 20 Perseid Meteor Shower 13 03:56 Moon at Descending Node 14 03 Mercury at Perihelion 15 00 Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.9°E 16 02:47 Venus 2.1°N of Moon 17 05:49 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 19 20:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 20 22:18 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 22 02:20 Moon at Apogee: 404644 km 27 11 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 27 12:47 Moon at Ascending Node 27 22:13 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.930 27 22:18 FULL MOON Sep 01 07:24 Venus 1.2°S of Spica 03 06:03 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 04 01:51 LAST QUARTER MOON 06 12:24 Mars 3.0°S of Moon 06 14:26 Moon at Perigee: 368255 km 07 00:32 Pollux 3.6°N of Moon 08 12:13 Jupiter 0.8°S of Moon: Occn. 09 13:17 Moon at Descending Node 09 13:36 Regulus 0.5°N of Moon 10 21:27 NEW MOON 13 14:53 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 14 05:10 Venus 0.5°S of Moon: Occn. 17 06:18 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 18 14:44 FIRST QUARTER MOON 18 21:00 Moon at Apogee: 404217 km 22 18:06 Autumnal Equinox 23 20:40 Moon at Ascending Node 25 18 Neptune at Opposition 25 19:49 Mercury 0.8°N of Spica 26 10:49 FULL MOON 30 11:39 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon Oct 01 14:41 Moon at Perigee: 369338 km 03 07:25 LAST QUARTER MOON 04 06 Saturn at Opposition 04 06:27 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 04 23:30 Mars 1.2°S of Moon: Occn. 06 04:18 Jupiter 0.2°S of Moon: Occn. 06 19:19 Moon at Descending Node 06 20:57 Regulus 0.6°N of Moon 10 09:50 NEW MOON 11 20:30 Venus 3.1°S of Moon 12 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.2°E 12 14:08 Mercury 2.1°N of Moon 14 14:25 Antares 0.4°N of Moon 16 16:56 Moon at Apogee: 404639 km 18 10:13 FIRST QUARTER MOON 21 02:53 Moon at Ascending Node 21 12 Orionid Meteor Shower 23 21 Venus at Inferior Conjunction 25 22:12 FULL MOON 27 19:11 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 28 12:01 Moon at Perigee: 364411 km 31 12:00 Pollux 4.0°N of Moon Nov 01 14:28 LAST QUARTER MOON 02 08:23 Mars 1.1°N of Moon: Occn. 02 17:11 Jupiter 0.5°N of Moon: Occn. 02 21:02 Moon at Descending Node 03 02:40 Regulus 0.8°N of Moon 04 08 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 05 13 S Taurid Meteor Shower 07 05:31 Venus 1.1°N of Moon: Occn. 07 06:40 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 09 01:02 NEW MOON 10 03 Mercury at Perihelion 10 07:49 Venus 0.1°S of Spica 10 21:58 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 12 12 N Taurid Meteor Shower 13 11:50 Moon at Apogee: 405619 km 15 22 Mars 1.2°N of Jupiter 17 05:48 FIRST QUARTER MOON 17 05:49 Moon at Ascending Node 17 18 Leonid Meteor Shower 20 17 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.6°W 24 05:18 Pleiades 0.9°S of Moon 24 08:53 FULL MOON 25 01:47 Mars 1.6°N of Regulus 25 14:58 Moon at Perigee: 359348 km 25 17 Uranus at Opposition 27 19:27 Pollux 4.2°N of Moon 29 21:34 Moon at Descending Node 30 03:18 Jupiter 1.2°N of Moon: Occn. 30 08:35 Regulus 1.1°N of Moon 30 13:32 Mars 3.3°N of Moon Dec 01 00:09 LAST QUARTER MOON 04 12:36 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 08 18:52 NEW MOON 11 00:46 Moon at Apogee: 406421 km 12 09:35 Jupiter 1.3°N of Regulus 14 07:04 Moon at Ascending Node 14 07 Geminid Meteor Shower 16 23:43 FIRST QUARTER MOON 21 14:50 Winter Solstice 21 16:37 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 22 16 Ursid Meteor Shower 23 19:28 FULL MOON 24 02 Mercury at Aphelion 24 02:30 Moon at Perigee: 356650 km 25 05:41 Pollux 4.4°N of Moon 25 15 Venus at Perihelion 27 01:55 Moon at Descending Node 27 11:32 Jupiter 1.5°N of Moon 27 16:44 Regulus 1.4°N of Moon 30 12:59 LAST QUARTER MOON |
Terms Used in Sky Event Almanac
- Perihelion - instant when a planet is closest to the Sun
- Aphelion - instant when a planet is furthest from the Sun
- Perigee - instant when the Moon is closest to Earth
- Apogee - instant when the Moon is furthest from Earth
- Inferior Conjunction - instant when a planet (Mercury or Venus) passes between Earth and the Sun
- Superior Conjunction - instant when a planet (Mercury or Venus) passes on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth
- Greatest Elongation - the maximum angular separation between the Sun and the planet (Mercury or Venus) as seen from Earth
- during eastern elongation (E), the planet appears as an evening star;
- during western elongation (W), the planet appears as a morning star - Opposition - instant when a planet appears opposite the Sun as seen from Earth
- Conjunction - instant when a planet appears closest the Sun as seen from Earth
- Occultation - the Moon occults or eclipses a star or planet
- Ascending Node - point where the Moon crosses from the southern to northern portion of its orbit
- Descending Node - point where the Moon crosses from the northern to the southern portion of its orbit
- Aldebaran - bright star in the constellation Taurus
- Pollux - bright star in the constellation Gemini
- Regulus - bright star in the constellation Leo
- Spica - bright star in the constellation Virgo
- Antares - bright star in the constellation Scorpius
- Pleiades - bright star cluster in the constellation Taurus
2026 Phases of the Moon
Central Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year . The times listed are for Central Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 6 hours) . This time zone may have different names in different countries. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed.
2026 Phases of the Moon | |||
Central Standard Time | |||
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
- | - | Jan 03 04:03 | Jan 10 09:48 |
Jan 18 13:52 | Jan 25 22:47 | Feb 01 16:09 | Feb 09 06:43 |
Feb 17 06:01 A | Feb 24 06:28 | Mar 03 05:38 t | Mar 11 03:39 |
Mar 18 19:23 | Mar 25 13:18 | Apr 01 20:12 | Apr 09 22:52 |
Apr 17 05:52 | Apr 23 20:32 | May 01 11:23 | May 09 15:10 |
May 16 14:01 | May 23 05:11 | May 31 02:45 | Jun 08 04:00 |
Jun 14 20:54 | Jun 21 15:55 | Jun 29 17:57 | Jul 07 13:29 |
Jul 14 03:43 | Jul 21 05:06 | Jul 29 08:36 | Aug 05 20:21 |
Aug 12 11:37 T | Aug 19 20:46 | Aug 27 22:18 p | Sep 04 01:51 |
Sep 10 21:27 | Sep 18 14:44 | Sep 26 10:49 | Oct 03 07:25 |
Oct 10 09:50 | Oct 18 10:13 | Oct 25 22:12 | Nov 01 14:28 |
Nov 09 01:02 | Nov 17 05:48 | Nov 24 08:53 | Dec 01 00:09 |
Dec 08 18:52 | Dec 16 23:43 | Dec 23 19:28 | Dec 30 12:59 |
For a collection of images showing the Moon's phases see: Phases of the Moon Photo Gallery.
The Phases of the Moon table also shows when an eclipse takes place. An eclipse of the Sun can only occur at New Moon (see: Solar Eclipses for Beginners), while an eclipse of the Moon can only occur at Full Moon (see: Lunar Eclipses for Beginners). In any calendar year there are a minimum of two solar and two lunar eclipses.
If an eclipse of the Sun or Moon takes place on a given date, it is noted by a character next to the date in the Phases of the Moon table. Solar eclipses are indicated as: T=Total, A=Annular, H=Hybrid and P=Partial. Lunar eclipses are indicated as: t=Total, p=Partial, and n=Penumbral.
Solar Eclipses
The following table contains links to a series of web pages covering the 21st Century. Each one summarizes ten years of solar eclipses. Every eclipse has links to a global visibility map, an interactive Google map, tables, and additional information.
Decade Pages of Solar Eclipses | |||||
Decades | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001-2010 | 2011-2020 | 2021-2030 | 2031-2040 | 2041-2050 | |
2051-2060 | 2061-2070 | 2071-2080 | 2081-2090 | 2091-2100 |
Lunar Eclipses
The following table contains links to a series of web pages covering the 21st Century. Each one summarizes ten years of lunar eclipses. Every eclipse has links to an eclipse diagram, a global visibility map, tables, and additional information.
Decade Pages of Lunar Eclipses | |||||
Decades | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001-2010 | 2011-2020 | 2021-2030 | 2031-2040 | 2041-2050 | |
2051-2060 | 2061-2070 | 2071-2080 | 2081-2090 | 2091-2100 |
Sky Event Almanacs: 2021 to 2030
The Americas
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2021 to 2030 for eight time zones in the Americas.
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a sky event almanac for that year.
Sky Event Almanacs - The Americas | |||||||||||||||
ART | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
AST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
EST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
CST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
MST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
PST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
AKST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
HST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
- ART = Argentina Time (= UTC - 3 hours)
- AST = Atlantic Standard Time (= UTC - 4 hours)
- EST = Eastern Standard Time (= UTC - 5 hours)
- CST = Central Standard Time (= UTC - 6 hours)
- MST = Mountain Standard Time (= UTC - 7 hours)
- PST = Pacific Standard Time (= UTC - 8 hours)
- AKST = Alaskan Standard Time (= UTC - 9 hours)
- HST = Hawaiian Standard Time (= UTC - 10 hours)
(where UTC = Coordinated Universal Time)
- Time Zones Abbreviations
A time zone may have a different name in different countries. Note the difference in hours between a given time zone and Coordinated Universal Time to help in identification.
For other years and other time zones, visit: Sky Event Almanacs.
Accuracy of the Sky Event Almanacs
The goal of the Sky Event Almanacs is to present a wide range of solar system phenomena with reasonable accuracy. In general, events listed to the nearest hour are accurate to ± 30 minutes. Events listed with a precision in hours and minutes (i.e., hh:mm) are typically accurate to ± 5 minutes or less.
The following table gives a more detailed breakdown of the accuracy of times for various astronomical events.
Accuracy of the Sky Event Almanacs | |
Solstice/Equinox (Earth) | ± 0.5 minute |
Aphelion/Perihelion (Earth) | ± 30 minutes; ± 0.00001 AU |
Solar and Lunar Eclipses | ± 0.5 minute |
Phases of the Moon | ± 0.5 minute |
Moon at Nodes | ± 2 minutes |
Apogee/Perigee of Moon | ± 5 minutes; ± 5 kilometers |
Conjunctions of Moon with Star or Planet | ± 10 minutes |
Conjunctions of Planet with Planet | ± 3 hours |
Inferior/Superior Conjunctions (Mercury & Venus) | ± 30 minutes |
Greatest Elongation (Mercury & Venus) | ± 30 minutes |
Opposition/Conjunction (Outer Planets) | ± 3 hours |
Aphelion/Perihelion of Planets | ± 30 minutes |
Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 to 2070
For more information and sample pages, see Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 To 2070.
Acknowledgements
All calculations are by Fred Espenak and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Algorithms used in predicting many of the astronomical events are based on Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus (Willmann-Bell Inc. Richmond 1998).
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by the acknowledgment:
- "Sky Event Almanacs Courtesy of Fred Espenak, www.AstroPixels.com".
Return to: Sky Event Almanacs
Return to: Planetary Ephemeris Data
Useful External Links
Interactive Sky Chart (Sky and Telescope)
Sky Maps (sky-map.org)
Astronomical Almanac (Sky and Telescope)
Weather Forecast for Astronomy (Clear Outside)
GOES-East Images (NOAA-GOES)
Astronomy Tools (Astronomy Tools)