Sky events to 2030: eclipses, supermoons, meteor showers
Solar and lunar eclipses, supermoons, planets and the peaks of the meteor showers up to the end of 2030, with date and time. For each event it says how well it can be seen from Germany.
Next in the sky
2026
Wednesday, October 21, 202601:00Orionidsup to 20 meteors per hour
The second shower from Halley’s dust. Very fast meteors with long persistent trains.
Thursday, November 5, 202600:00Tauridsup to 7 meteors per hour
Few meteors, but the brightest. The Taurids bring fireballs that light up half the landscape.
Tuesday, November 10, 202600:00Conjunction
Venus passes a hair’s breadth from Spica
A tenth of a degree between the brightest planet and the brightest star in Virgo. That is a fifth of the width of the full Moon.
Seen from Germany: Visible in the morning sky.
Tuesday, November 17, 202623:45Leonidsup to 15 meteors per hour
The fastest meteors of all, 71 kilometres per second. Every 33 years they bring a storm — the next is due in 2033 to 2035.
Sunday, November 22, 202605:30Planetary parade
Four planets in the morning twilight
Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury stand together in the morning sky. Best view around 22 November at about half past six.
Seen from Germany: Visible in the morning twilight, low in the south-east. The window for a complete parade lasts only 30 to 60 minutes.
Monday, December 14, 202614:00Geminidsup to 150 meteors per hour
The richest shower of the year. Up to 150 meteors per hour, slow and bright, and unlike all the others they come from an asteroid.
Monday, December 21, 202620:50December solstice
Winter solstice — the longest night
Tuesday, December 22, 202622:00Ursidsup to 10 meteors per hour
The last shower of the year, circumpolar and therefore visible all night.
Thursday, December 24, 202601:28Supermoon
The biggest full Moon of the year — on Christmas Eve
In the night before Christmas Eve the full Moon is 356,740 km away. It comes no closer all year.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
2027
Monday, January 4, 202703:25Quadrantidsup to 80 meteors per hour
The first major shower of the year, with an extremely narrow peak of only a few hours.
Friday, January 22, 202712:17Supermoon
357,644 km — the closest full Moon of the year, in the middle of January.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Saturday, February 6, 202716:00Annular solar eclipse
Annular solar eclipse over South America
Almost eight minutes of ring of fire over Chile and Argentina.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Thursday, February 11, 202700:14Opposition
Jupiter in Leo, higher than it will be for years
The best Jupiter opposition of the decade for Central Europe. The planet is up all night and culminates higher than in any of the following years.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night, very high in the sky.
Friday, February 19, 202715:44Opposition
Mars at opposition — the least favourable kind there is
Mars stands opposite the Sun, but as far from Earth as it can possibly be. Only 13.8 arcseconds across.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night, high in Leo.
Saturday, February 20, 202723:13Penumbral lunar eclipse
Penumbral lunar eclipse in the night of 20 to 21 February
The Moon dips almost completely into the penumbra without any bite being taken out of the disc.
Where it can be seen: The whole eclipse is above the horizon in London: 21:10 to 01:15, greatest at 23:13 local time.
Saturday, March 20, 202720:25March equinox
Start of spring
Friday, April 23, 202702:40Lyridsup to 18 meteors per hour
The oldest documented meteor shower in human history, observed since 687 BC.
Thursday, May 6, 202710:00Eta Aquariidsup to 50 meteors per hour
Dust from Halley’s Comet. Very fast meteors, from Central Europe only low above the south-eastern horizon.
Thursday, May 20, 202711:59Blue moon
Blue Moon: the third of four full Moons in spring
Four full Moons in one season instead of three. The third of them is called the Blue Moon.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Monday, June 21, 202715:11June solstice
Summer solstice — the longest day
Sunday, July 18, 202717:03Penumbral lunar eclipse
The faintest lunar eclipse of the decade
The Moon grazes the penumbra for 18 minutes. Hardly an eclipse, more of a touch.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is below the horizon during the eclipse.
Monday, August 2, 202711:07Total solar eclipse
Six minutes of night at noon over Egypt and southern Spain
The longest total solar eclipse over land this decade. Near Luxor the Sun stands overhead and goes out for 6 minutes 23 seconds.
Where it can be seen: London: 52 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 10:00. Edinburgh: 39 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 10:01. Dublin: 47 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 09:57.
Friday, August 13, 202710:00Perseidsup to 100 meteors per hour
The best-known shower of the year, from the dust of Comet Swift-Tuttle. On mild August nights up to a hundred meteors fall per hour.
Tuesday, August 17, 202708:14Penumbral lunar eclipse
Penumbral lunar eclipse in the morning
A slight dimming of the Moon in the Earth’s penumbra.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is below the horizon during the eclipse.
Tuesday, August 31, 202718:41Black moon
Black Moon: the second new Moon in August
Two new Moons in one month. The second is called the Black Moon — the darkest night of the year for meteors and the Milky Way.
Seen from Germany: A new Moon is not visible. What you can see is what it makes possible: a sky without moonlight.
Thursday, September 23, 202707:02September equinox
Start of autumn
Saturday, October 9, 202708:00Draconidsup to 5 meteors per hour
The slowest shower of the year and the most unpredictable. Usually a few meteors, in rare years a storm.
Friday, October 22, 202702:00Orionidsup to 20 meteors per hour
The second shower from Halley’s dust. Very fast meteors with long persistent trains.
Saturday, November 6, 202700:00Tauridsup to 7 meteors per hour
Few meteors, but the brightest. The Taurids bring fireballs that light up half the landscape.
Thursday, November 18, 202706:00Leonidsup to 15 meteors per hour
The fastest meteors of all, 71 kilometres per second. Every 33 years they bring a storm — the next is due in 2033 to 2035.
Tuesday, December 14, 202720:00Geminidsup to 150 meteors per hour
The richest shower of the year. Up to 150 meteors per hour, slow and bright, and unlike all the others they come from an asteroid.
Wednesday, December 22, 202702:43December solstice
Winter solstice — the longest night
Thursday, December 23, 202704:00Ursidsup to 10 meteors per hour
The last shower of the year, circumpolar and therefore visible all night.
2028
Tuesday, January 4, 202811:00Quadrantidsup to 80 meteors per hour
The first major shower of the year, with an extremely narrow peak of only a few hours.
Wednesday, January 12, 202804:13Partial lunar eclipse
A small bite out of the January Moon
Only seven per cent of the disc reaches the umbra. If you don’t know an eclipse is on, you will hardly notice it.
Where it can be seen: The whole eclipse is above the horizon in London: 03:45 to 04:42, greatest at 04:13 local time.
Wednesday, January 26, 202815:08Annular solar eclipse
Ten and a half minutes of ring of fire, ending over Spain
The longest annular solar eclipse of this decade. The antumbra leaves the Earth at sunset over Spain.
Where it can be seen: London: begins at 15:37, the Sun sets still eclipsed. Edinburgh: begins at 15:34, the Sun sets still eclipsed. Dublin: 58 % of the Sun’s diameter, with the Sun only 0° above the horizon.
Thursday, February 10, 202815:04Supermoon
356,720 km — one of the closest full-Moon perigees of the entire century.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Monday, March 20, 202802:17March equinox
Start of spring
Saturday, April 22, 202809:00Lyridsup to 18 meteors per hour
The oldest documented meteor shower in human history, observed since 687 BC.
Friday, May 5, 202823:00Eta Aquariidsup to 50 meteors per hour
Dust from Halley’s Comet. Very fast meteors, from Central Europe only low above the south-eastern horizon.
Tuesday, June 20, 202821:02June solstice
Summer solstice — the longest day
Thursday, July 6, 202819:20Partial lunar eclipse
Partial lunar eclipse on a summer evening
Just under a third of the disc moves into the umbra.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is below the horizon during the eclipse.
Saturday, July 22, 202803:55Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse over Australia and New Zealand
The umbra crosses the Australian continent, with Sydney right in the middle.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Saturday, August 12, 202806:30Perseidsup to 100 meteors per hour
The best-known shower of the year, from the dust of Comet Swift-Tuttle. On mild August nights up to a hundred meteors fall per hour.
Sunday, August 20, 202811:44Black moon
Four new Moons in one season. The third of them is called the Black Moon.
Seen from Germany: No visible Moon, but a sky without moonlight.
Friday, September 22, 202812:45September equinox
Start of autumn
Sunday, October 8, 202815:00Draconidsup to 5 meteors per hour
The slowest shower of the year and the most unpredictable. Usually a few meteors, in rare years a storm.
Tuesday, October 10, 202806:00Tauridsup to 7 meteors per hour
Few meteors, but the brightest. The Taurids bring fireballs that light up half the landscape.
Saturday, October 21, 202806:00Planetary parade
All five bright planets at once
Saturn, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury stand in the morning twilight at the same time. It happens exactly once this decade.
Seen from Germany: Morning twilight, reference view on 21 October around 7:00. Jupiter and Mercury stand close together, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in an arc.
Saturday, October 21, 202808:00Orionidsup to 20 meteors per hour
The second shower from Halley’s dust. Very fast meteors with long persistent trains.
Monday, October 30, 202817:25Saturn’s rings edge-on
Since the edge-on view in 2025 the rings had almost vanished. Over this decade they open up again — from a tilt of 7 degrees in 2026 to 25 degrees in 2030.
Seen from Germany: Every opposition shows more ring than the last. From 2028 Saturn looks like a picture book again through a telescope.
Friday, November 10, 202801:00Conjunction
The two brightest planets stand half a degree apart — one full-Moon width.
Seen from Germany: Visible in the morning sky from 8 to 10 November.
Friday, November 17, 202813:00Leonidsup to 15 meteors per hour
The fastest meteors of all, 71 kilometres per second. Every 33 years they bring a storm — the next is due in 2033 to 2035.
Thursday, December 14, 202802:00Geminidsup to 150 meteors per hour
The richest shower of the year. Up to 150 meteors per hour, slow and bright, and unlike all the others they come from an asteroid.
Thursday, December 21, 202808:20December solstice
Winter solstice — the longest night
Friday, December 22, 202810:00Ursidsup to 10 meteors per hour
The last shower of the year, circumpolar and therefore visible all night.
Sunday, December 31, 202816:52Total lunar eclipse
Blood Moon on New Year’s Eve — and a Blue Moon as well
The last full Moon of 2028 is the second in December, and it is totally eclipsed.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is above the horizon for part of the eclipse, from 15:55 to 18:35 local time.
2029
Wednesday, January 3, 202917:00Quadrantidsup to 80 meteors per hour
The first major shower of the year, with an extremely narrow peak of only a few hours.
Sunday, January 14, 202917:13Partial solar eclipse
Partial solar eclipse over North America
Up to 87 per cent of the Sun’s diameter disappears, visible from North America.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Tuesday, March 20, 202908:01March equinox
Start of spring
Friday, March 30, 202903:26Supermoon
The biggest full Moon of the decade
356,683 km, and the full Moon falls just three hours before perigee. Between 2026 and 2030 the full Moon never comes closer to the Earth.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Thursday, April 12, 202904:50Opposition
Jupiter at opposition in Virgo
Jupiter stands opposite the Sun and is visible all night.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Friday, April 13, 202922:45Asteroid flyby
Apophis — an asteroid you can watch move with the naked eye
On the evening of 13 April 2029 a 450-metre asteroid passes closer to the Earth than the geostationary satellites. Germany lies in the best viewing zone.
Seen from Germany: Best time 22:00 to 23:00 CEST. Apophis moves westwards through Leo, Sextans and Cancer — bright enough for the naked eye and fast enough that its motion against the stars can be seen.
Sunday, April 22, 202915:00Lyridsup to 18 meteors per hour
The oldest documented meteor shower in human history, observed since 687 BC.
Sunday, May 6, 202905:00Eta Aquariidsup to 50 meteors per hour
Dust from Halley’s Comet. Very fast meteors, from Central Europe only low above the south-eastern horizon.
Tuesday, June 12, 202905:05Partial solar eclipse
A shallow eclipse over the Arctic and Scandinavia.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: the Sun rises eclipsed and the eclipse ends at 04:51. Dublin: not visible.
Thursday, June 21, 202902:48June solstice
Summer solstice — the longest day
Tuesday, June 26, 202904:22Total lunar eclipse
The deepest lunar eclipse of the decade
The Moon passes almost centrally through the umbra and stays eclipsed for 102 minutes.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is above the horizon for part of the eclipse, from 02:33 to 04:49 local time.
Wednesday, July 11, 202916:36Partial solar eclipse
Partial solar eclipse over South America
A shallow nick in the Sun over southern Chile and southern Argentina.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Sunday, August 12, 202922:00Perseidsup to 100 meteors per hour
The best-known shower of the year, from the dust of Comet Swift-Tuttle. On mild August nights up to a hundred meteors fall per hour.
Friday, August 24, 202902:51Blue moon
Four full Moons in summer 2029 instead of three. The third is the Blue Moon.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Saturday, September 22, 202918:37September equinox
Start of autumn
Monday, October 8, 202921:00Draconidsup to 5 meteors per hour
The slowest shower of the year and the most unpredictable. Usually a few meteors, in rare years a storm.
Wednesday, October 10, 202912:00Tauridsup to 7 meteors per hour
Few meteors, but the brightest. The Taurids bring fireballs that light up half the landscape.
Sunday, October 21, 202914:00Orionidsup to 20 meteors per hour
The second shower from Halley’s dust. Very fast meteors with long persistent trains.
Saturday, November 17, 202919:00Leonidsup to 15 meteors per hour
The fastest meteors of all, 71 kilometres per second. Every 33 years they bring a storm — the next is due in 2033 to 2035.
Wednesday, December 5, 202915:03Partial solar eclipse
Partial solar eclipse over South America and Antarctica
Almost 90 per cent of the Sun’s diameter disappears — visible only in the far south.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Friday, December 14, 202908:00Geminidsup to 150 meteors per hour
The richest shower of the year. Up to 150 meteors per hour, slow and bright, and unlike all the others they come from an asteroid.
Thursday, December 20, 202922:42Total lunar eclipse
The Blood Moon all of Europe sees in full
A total lunar eclipse that stands in the sky over Europe from the first minute to the last — high, dark, in the middle of a winter night.
Where it can be seen: The whole eclipse is above the horizon in London: 20:55 to 00:29, greatest at 22:42 local time.
Friday, December 21, 202914:14December solstice
Winter solstice — the longest night
Saturday, December 22, 202917:00Ursidsup to 10 meteors per hour
The last shower of the year, circumpolar and therefore visible all night.
2030
Thursday, January 3, 203023:00Quadrantidsup to 80 meteors per hour
The first major shower of the year, with an extremely narrow peak of only a few hours.
Monday, March 11, 203018:26Lunar occultation
The Moon covers Uranus — high in the evening sky
The best-placed occultation of the decade over Germany. Reappearance happens at an altitude of 44 degrees.
Seen from Germany: Disappearance at 19:26 in twilight, reappearance at 20:46 at an altitude of 43.6 degrees. Uranus itself needs a telescope.
Wednesday, March 20, 203013:51March equinox
Start of spring
Monday, April 22, 203021:00Lyridsup to 18 meteors per hour
The oldest documented meteor shower in human history, observed since 687 BC.
Monday, May 6, 203011:00Eta Aquariidsup to 50 meteors per hour
Dust from Halley’s Comet. Very fast meteors, from Central Europe only low above the south-eastern horizon.
Friday, May 17, 203012:19Supermoon
357,028 km, and the full Moon falls almost exactly at perigee.
Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
Saturday, June 1, 203007:28Annular solar eclipse
Ring of fire over Greece and Turkey
An annular eclipse on a Saturday morning in June. Across Europe between half and almost nine tenths of the Sun’s diameter disappear.
Where it can be seen: London: 59 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 06:22. Edinburgh: 52 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 06:30. Dublin: 53 % of the Sun’s diameter covered, greatest at 06:26.
Saturday, June 15, 203019:33Partial lunar eclipse
Half the Moon in the Earth’s shadow
Worldwide half of the disc disappears into the umbra.
Where it can be seen: In London the Moon is below the horizon during the eclipse.
Friday, June 21, 203008:31June solstice
Summer solstice — the longest day
Sunday, June 30, 203022:34Black moon
Black Moon: the second new Moon in June
At 23:34 German time, 26 minutes before midnight. A few time zones further east it already falls on 1 July — and there the Black Moon does not happen.
Seen from Germany: No visible Moon, but a sky without moonlight in the shortest nights of the year.
Tuesday, August 13, 203004:00Perseidsup to 100 meteors per hour
The best-known shower of the year, from the dust of Comet Swift-Tuttle. On mild August nights up to a hundred meteors fall per hour.
Monday, September 23, 203000:27September equinox
Start of autumn
Wednesday, October 9, 203003:00Draconidsup to 5 meteors per hour
The slowest shower of the year and the most unpredictable. Usually a few meteors, in rare years a storm.
Thursday, October 10, 203018:00Tauridsup to 7 meteors per hour
Few meteors, but the brightest. The Taurids bring fireballs that light up half the landscape.
Monday, October 21, 203020:00Orionidsup to 20 meteors per hour
The second shower from Halley’s dust. Very fast meteors with long persistent trains.
Monday, November 18, 203001:00Leonidsup to 15 meteors per hour
The fastest meteors of all, 71 kilometres per second. Every 33 years they bring a storm — the next is due in 2033 to 2035.
Monday, November 25, 203006:50Total solar eclipse
Total solar eclipse over South Africa and Australia
The umbra crosses Botswana, South Africa and southern Australia.
Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
Monday, December 9, 203022:28Penumbral lunar eclipse
The Moon turns pale in the night of 9 to 10 December
A very deep penumbral eclipse. The Moon visibly loses its shine without a shadow cutting into it.
Where it can be seen: The whole eclipse is above the horizon in London: 20:05 to 00:50, greatest at 22:28 local time.
Saturday, December 14, 203015:00Geminidsup to 150 meteors per hour
The richest shower of the year. Up to 150 meteors per hour, slow and bright, and unlike all the others they come from an asteroid.
Saturday, December 21, 203020:09December solstice
Winter solstice — the longest night
Sunday, December 22, 203023:00Ursidsup to 10 meteors per hour
The last shower of the year, circumpolar and therefore visible all night.
Already past
- Monday, September 14, 2026The Moon passes in front of Venus — in broad daylight
- Friday, August 28, 2026Partial lunar eclipse, 96 per cent covered
- Wednesday, August 12, 2026Total solar eclipse over Spain and Iceland
Times for Europe/London. Sources: Fred Espenak (EclipseWise.com), International Meteor Organization (IMO), timeanddate, in-the-sky.org; times checked against astronomy-engine.
Frequently asked questions about sky events
When is the next lunar eclipse?
Penumbral lunar eclipse on Saturday, February 20, 2027 at 23:13. Where it can be seen: The whole eclipse is above the horizon in London: 21:10 to 01:15, greatest at 23:13 local time.
When is the next solar eclipse?
Annular solar eclipse on Saturday, February 6, 2027 at 16:00. Where it can be seen: London: not visible. Edinburgh: not visible. Dublin: not visible.
When is the next supermoon?
Supermoon on Thursday, December 24, 2026 at 01:28. Seen from Germany: Visible all night.
When is the next meteor shower?
Geminids: peak on Monday, December 14, 2026 at 14:00, up to 150 meteors per hour.