- In 2026 there are 4 eclipses, 2 solar and 2 lunar: annular solar eclipse on 17 Feb, total lunar eclipse on 3 Mar, total solar eclipse on 12 Aug, partial lunar eclipse on 28 Aug.
- The next solar eclipse after 27 September 2026 is an annular solar eclipse on 6 February 2027, greatest at 16:00 UTC.
- The next lunar eclipse after 27 September 2026 is a penumbral lunar eclipse on 20 February 2027, greatest at 23:13 UTC.
- The next eclipse visible from Europe is the penumbral lunar eclipse of 20 February 2027.
- A solar eclipse can only happen at new moon and a lunar eclipse only at full moon.
What is an eclipse?
An eclipse happens when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon line up. In a solar eclipse the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth and its shadow falls on a narrow strip of the Earth’s surface. In a lunar eclipse the Earth stands between the Sun and the Moon and the Earth’s shadow covers the Moon. Every year has at least four eclipses, two solar and two lunar, and at most seven.
Solar eclipses in 2026
There are 2 solar eclipses in 2026. A solar eclipse is seen only from the part of the Earth the Moon’s shadow crosses; the total or annular phase is seen from a path a few hundred kilometres wide, the partial phase from a much larger area around it.
Lunar eclipses in 2026
There are 2 lunar eclipses in 2026. A lunar eclipse is seen from the whole night side of the Earth at the same moment, which is why far more people see lunar eclipses than solar ones.
| Date | Eclipse | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | Magnitude | Duration | Where it is visible | From Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Mar | Total lunar eclipse | 11:34 | 1.151 | 58 min / 3 h 27 min | eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Americas | not visible |
| 28 Aug | Partial lunar eclipse | 04:13 | 0.930 | 3 h 18 min | the eastern Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Africa | visible |
Types of solar and lunar eclipses
Why is there no eclipse every month?
The Moon’s orbit is tilted by about 5 degrees to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. At most new and full moons the Moon passes above or below the line between the Sun and the Earth, and no shadow falls. Eclipses happen only in two eclipse seasons a year, about six months apart, when the line of the full or new moon crosses that plane.
Eclipse dates 2026 to 2030
Every solar and lunar eclipse of five years in one table. Each date opens a page with times in several time zones and the regions of visibility.
| Date | Eclipse | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | From Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2026 | Annular solar eclipse | 12:12 | not visible |
| 3 March 2026 | Total lunar eclipse | 11:34 | not visible |
| 12 August 2026 | Total solar eclipse | 17:46 | visible |
| 28 August 2026 | Partial lunar eclipse | 04:13 | visible |
| 6 February 2027 | Annular solar eclipse | 16:00 | not visible |
| 20 February 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 23:13 | visible |
| 18 July 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 16:03 | not visible |
| 2 August 2027 | Total solar eclipse | 10:07 | visible |
| 17 August 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 07:14 | not visible |
| 12 January 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | 04:13 | visible |
| 26 January 2028 | Annular solar eclipse | 15:08 | partly visible |
| 6 July 2028 | Partial lunar eclipse | 18:20 | visible |
| 22 July 2028 | Total solar eclipse | 02:56 | not visible |
| 31 December 2028 | Total lunar eclipse | 16:52 | visible |
| 14 January 2029 | Partial solar eclipse | 17:13 | not visible |
| 12 June 2029 | Partial solar eclipse | 04:05 | partly visible |
| 26 June 2029 | Total lunar eclipse | 03:22 | visible |
| 11 July 2029 | Partial solar eclipse | 15:36 | not visible |
| 5 December 2029 | Partial solar eclipse | 15:03 | not visible |
| 20 December 2029 | Total lunar eclipse | 22:42 | visible |
| 1 June 2030 | Annular solar eclipse | 06:28 | visible |
| 15 June 2030 | Partial lunar eclipse | 18:33 | visible |
| 25 November 2030 | Total solar eclipse | 06:50 | not visible |
| 9 December 2030 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | 22:28 | visible |
How to watch a solar eclipse safely
Looking at the Sun without proper protection damages the retina, and the damage is painless while it happens. This applies to every partial and annular eclipse and to the partial phases of a total eclipse. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
Questions people ask
When is the next solar eclipse?
The next solar eclipse is an annular solar eclipse on 6 February 2027. Greatest eclipse is at 16:00 UTC. It is visible from South America, Antarctica, western and southern Africa.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
The next lunar eclipse is a penumbral lunar eclipse on 20 February 2027. Greatest eclipse is at 23:13 UTC. It is visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia.
Is there an eclipse today?
No. There is no eclipse on 27 September 2026. The next one is an annular solar eclipse on 6 February 2027, in 132 days.
How many eclipses are there in 2026?
2026 has 4 eclipses, 2 solar and 2 lunar: annular solar eclipse on 17 Feb, total lunar eclipse on 3 Mar, total solar eclipse on 12 Aug, partial lunar eclipse on 28 Aug.
Which eclipse can be seen from Europe next?
The next eclipse visible from Europe is the penumbral lunar eclipse of 20 February 2027, greatest at 23:13 UTC.
Why does the Moon turn red in a total lunar eclipse?
The Earth’s atmosphere bends sunlight into the shadow and scatters the blue part of it. The light that reaches the Moon is the red light of all the sunrises and sunsets around the Earth at that moment.
How often does a total solar eclipse happen?
A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about every 18 months. At any one place it is seen on average once in several hundred years, because the path of totality is narrow.
What is the difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse?
In a solar eclipse the Moon hides the Sun; it happens at new moon, lasts minutes at any one place and needs eye protection. In a lunar eclipse the Earth’s shadow covers the Moon; it happens at full moon, lasts hours and is safe to watch.
- Fred Espenak, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Solar Eclipses 2021–2030 and Lunar Eclipses 2021–2030 (eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov).
- Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., 1998.
- American Astronomical Society: How to view a solar eclipse safely; ISO 12312-2 filters for direct observation of the Sun.
- timeanddate.com: local circumstances of eclipses for Vilnius.
Dates, types, magnitudes and durations are taken from the NASA eclipse tables and checked row by row. NASA gives the time of greatest eclipse in Terrestrial Dynamical Time; this page converts it to UTC and shows it to the minute. The countdown is recalculated every day.