Real calculated dates for eclipses and meteor showers — nothing made up
Upcoming eclipses
What it looks like
This happens when the Moon is near the far point of its orbit from Earth, the apogee. The Moon then looks a little smaller than the Sun and cannot cover it, so a ring of the solar face is left around the edge. That ring is the surface of the Sun with its brightness not reduced at all — without eclipse glasses certified to ISO 12312-2 it is not safe for a single moment. Nor does it go dark the way a total eclipse does, and no corona comes out.
What it looks like
A lunar eclipse in which the Moon only grazes the faint outer part of Earth's shadow, the penumbra. Sunlight is blocked only in part in that region, so the Moon merely dims a little and you never get the look of a piece bitten out of one side. Most people go past it without ever noticing — when it runs deep, some do make out a faint shading along one edge, and setting it beside a photo taken an hour earlier makes it plainer.
What it looks like
A lunar eclipse in which the Moon only grazes the faint outer part of Earth's shadow, the penumbra. Sunlight is blocked only in part in that region, so the Moon merely dims a little and you never get the look of a piece bitten out of one side. Most people go past it without ever noticing — when it runs deep, some do make out a faint shading along one edge, and setting it beside a photo taken an hour earlier makes it plainer.
What it looks like
The Moon is red in a total lunar eclipse because light that has come through every sunrise and every sunset on Earth bends into the shadow. On the long passage through the atmosphere the blue is scattered away and only the red refracts through and remains. Depending on how much dust and volcanic ash the air holds that day, it ranges from a bright copper to almost blackish red. A total solar eclipse is the other way about: it is the moment the corona, unseen the rest of the time, comes out for a few minutes. Before and after that, though, the eclipse is partial, and for as long as any part of the Sun's edge is showing you must not take the certified filter off.
Eclipses are Earth-wide events — whether you can actually see one depends on your location and the local weather.
A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye. 🚨 A solar eclipse is not — never look with bare eyes, sunglasses, or film; permanent damage takes seconds. Only certified eclipse glasses or indirect projection are safe.
Upcoming meteor showers
How to watch
The radiant is the head of Draco, high in the northern sky. It runs opposite to every other shower in that it stands highest the moment the sky goes dark, so there is no waiting until midnight — the early evening is where it is won or lost. Above 45 degrees north the radiant never sets and stays in the sky all night. From the Southern Hemisphere, by contrast, it barely comes up at all and is hard to see. At 20 km/s it is the slowest on this list, and the meteors drift past rather than cut past.
When to watch
The activity period is short, from 6 to 10 October, and the peak lasts only a few hours, so if that hour falls in daylight where you are, the year is very nearly a write-off. This is a shower whose numbers change enormously from one year to the next — usually only a few an hour, though a handful of past years are on record as having poured down far more. Check the forecast for the year before heading out.
This year's conditions
Moon 3% lit on peak night · up to 5/hour under ideal conditions
Barely any Moon this year. For a meteor shower that is a large difference — the gap between keeping only the brightest few and seeing the faint ones as well, which is why the same shower looks nothing alike from year to year. When a year like this comes round, all you have to match is the weather.
How to watch
The radiant sits north of Betelgeuse, over towards the border between Orion and Gemini. It rises in the east around 10pm and stands highest near 4am. Because the radiant is close to the celestial equator, this is a shower that can be seen from the southern and the northern hemispheres alike. At 66 km/s it is among the faster ones even on this list, so they cut past short and sharp, and the bright ones drag a trace along their path that lasts a few seconds.
When to watch
The activity period is long, from the start of October to the start of November. The peak runs low and flat, so similar numbers show for several days, and depending on the year two or so peaks of much the same size can arrive separately. You will be out of doors right through the pre-dawn hours, so bring clothes for the season in that region; as for the moon, all you need to see is whether it is up before dawn.
This year's conditions
Moon 72% lit on peak night · up to 20/hour under ideal conditions
The Moon is more than half full. Bright meteors still come through, but most of the faint ones are buried. Rather than counting on numbers, treat it as a night for catching one properly bright one. Years like this are where "there was less than I expected" comes from.
How to watch
The radiant sits in the lower part of Taurus, right beside the ecliptic. Being close to the ecliptic, it can be seen from the southern and the northern hemispheres alike, and from the north it holds a usable height through most of the night, from early evening to dawn. It stands highest around midnight. At 27 km/s it is on the slow side, and the radiant is not a single point but a broad ellipse some 20 degrees wide, which makes it hard to say flatly that any one meteor belongs to this shower.
When to watch
It runs for more than two months, from late September to late November, so there is hardly any need to cling to a date. Besides the peak in early November there is a second peak of much the same size in the middle of October, so in a bright-moon year you can simply move to a night on the other peak. From the middle of November the northern branch takes over and the fireballs keep coming.
This year's conditions
Moon 18% lit on peak night · up to 5/hour under ideal conditions
Barely any Moon this year. For a meteor shower that is a large difference — the gap between keeping only the brightest few and seeing the faint ones as well, which is why the same shower looks nothing alike from year to year. When a year like this comes round, all you have to match is the weather.
How to watch
The radiant is in the head of Leo, among the stars strung out in the shape of a sickle. It rises in the east around midnight and keeps climbing until first light. Both hemispheres get a view, but the radiant reaches far higher in the north. At 71 km/s these are the fastest meteors of the whole year, and the bright ones leave a trace that glows briefly along the path. There is a record of meteor storms when the parent comet comes back round on its 33-year cycle.
When to watch
In an ordinary year the peak is short, a matter of hours, so the 2 to 3 hours either side of the peak time are where it is decided. On top of that the only time you can watch is after midnight, so if the peak time falls during daylight where you are, that year has to be written off. The activity period runs from the start of November to the end of it, so a few will still turn up on the nights either side. If the moon is bright, watch with it behind you.
This year's conditions
Moon 45% lit on peak night · up to 15/hour under ideal conditions
The Moon is under half. Some of the faint meteors get washed out, but the conditions are worth going out for. Just check where the Moon sits in the sky and put it behind you — having moonlight straight in your eyes is not the same as having it at your back.
⚠️ That percentage is how bright the Moon is, not when it rises. Even a thin crescent gets in the way if it happens to be up while you are watching, and a full Moon does not matter at all once it has set. That depends on where you are and what time it is, so this screen does not claim it — these conditions only tell you which years are better than others.
For a meteor shower a telescope actually hurts, because it narrows your field of view. Whether the peak spreads over several days or lasts only a few hours differs from one shower to the next — read “When to watch” to choose your night, and simply keeping the city lights behind you already makes a difference.
Observing basics
Preparation decides how an observing session goes more than the numbers do. Your eyes become usable about 20 minutes after you go into the dark, and they keep improving out to 30 or 40 minutes. One look at a bright screen and that adaptation starts over from the beginning — turn your phone down to its lowest brightness, or switch it to a red screen. Leaning back and taking in a wide piece of sky is the posture you want. Meteors jump out from anywhere, so watching the radiant alone leaves you with the short ones only, and a faint object shows up better when you look about one fist's width at arm's length to the side of it. The hourly count (ZHR) is the figure for ideal conditions, with the radiant overhead and a fully dark sky, so it is normal to see fewer than that in practice. Under city lights only the brightest few are left, so driving 30 minutes out of town makes a far bigger difference than buying equipment.
Ask more
Eclipse dates are calculated live from real orbital mechanics (astronomy-engine), not a fixed table. Meteor shower peak dates follow the International Meteor Organization's annual calendar and can shift by about a day year to year.
