Eclipses 2026
The eclipses of 2026, with the dates, signs and where each could be seen. The year's headline was the total solar eclipse across Iceland and Spain, the first total eclipse visible from mainland Europe in more than a quarter of a century.
- February 17: Annular solar eclipse in Aquarius
- March 3: Total lunar eclipse in Virgo
- August 12: Total solar eclipse in Leo
- August 28: Partial lunar eclipse in Pisces
Eclipse season 2026
This year's eclipses came as two seasons, about six months apart, each with one solar and one lunar eclipse. Eclipse seasons happen when the Sun is near the points where the Moon's path crosses the Earth's, so they recur roughly every six months, and each year's dates move a little earlier than the last.
Annular solar eclipse, February 17, in Aquarius
| Peak | |
|---|---|
| Position | 28° Aquarius |
| Point of greatest eclipse | 64.7° S, 86.7° E |
An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon is too far from the Earth to cover the Sun completely, so a bright ring stays visible around it. The sky dims but does not go dark. Everywhere along the track and outside it, the Sun must be viewed through proper eclipse glasses from start to finish.
Where to see it
| Place | Seen as | Sun covered | When (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg, South Africa | Partial | 8% | 13:12 peak |
| Cape Town, South Africa | Partial | 5% | 12:44 peak |
What it touches for each sign
- Aries, your 11th house: a change in your friendships or your long-range plans
- Taurus, your 10th house: a turning point in your career or public standing
- Gemini, your 9th house: a new direction through travel, study or belief
- Cancer, your 8th house: a shift in shared money, trust or closeness
- Leo, your 7th house: a turning point in a close relationship or partnership
- Virgo, your 6th house: a change in your job or your daily routine
- Libra, your 5th house: a change of heart in love or in what you create
- Scorpio, your 4th house: a turning point at home or in your family
- Sagittarius, your 3rd house: news, a key conversation or a change in your daily contacts
- Capricorn, your 2nd house: a fresh look at your income and what you value
- Aquarius, your 1st house: a new start in how you present yourself
- Pisces, your 12th house: a chance to let something go and clear some room
Total lunar eclipse, March 3, in Virgo
| Peak | |
|---|---|
| Position | 12° Virgo |
A total lunar eclipse happens when the whole Moon passes into the darkest part of the Earth's shadow and often turns a deep copper red, lit only by sunlight bent through the Earth's atmosphere. It is safe to watch with the naked eye, from anywhere the Moon is up.
The Moon is fully in the Earth's shadow for 59 minutes, inside 208 minutes in the shadow's dark part.
Where to see it
Anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at 11:34 UTC can see the peak. From our list of cities, it stands highest over:
- Tokyo, Japan (35° up)
- Sydney, Australia (35° up)
- Los Angeles, USA (34° up)
- Mexico City, Mexico (19° up)
- Chicago, USA (9° up)
- Singapore (4° up)
- Toronto, Canada (3° up)
What it touches for each sign
- Aries, your 6th house: a change in your job or your daily routine
- Taurus, your 5th house: a change of heart in love or in what you create
- Gemini, your 4th house: a turning point at home or in your family
- Cancer, your 3rd house: news, a key conversation or a change in your daily contacts
- Leo, your 2nd house: a fresh look at your income and what you value
- Virgo, your 1st house: a new start in how you present yourself
- Libra, your 12th house: a chance to let something go and clear some room
- Scorpio, your 11th house: a change in your friendships or your long-range plans
- Sagittarius, your 10th house: a turning point in your career or public standing
- Capricorn, your 9th house: a new direction through travel, study or belief
- Aquarius, your 8th house: a shift in shared money, trust or closeness
- Pisces, your 7th house: a turning point in a close relationship or partnership
Total solar eclipse, August 12, in Leo
| Peak | |
|---|---|
| Position | 20° Leo |
| Point of greatest eclipse | 65.2° N, 25.3° W |
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon covers the whole of the Sun. Inside a narrow track the sky goes dark in the daytime and the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, shows around the black disc. Outside that track, people see only a partial eclipse, with a bite out of the Sun. Look at it only through proper eclipse glasses, except during the moments of totality.
Where to see it
| Place | Seen as | Sun covered | When (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Coruña, Spain | Total | 100% | 18:28 to 18:29, about 1 min |
| Bilbao, Spain | Total | 100% | 18:27 to 18:28, about 1 min |
| Palma, Spain | Total | 100% | 18:31 to 18:33, about 2 min |
| Reykjavík, Iceland | Total | 100% | 17:48 to 17:49, about 1 min |
| Valencia, Spain | Total | 100% | 18:32 to 18:34, about 2 min |
| Zaragoza, Spain | Total | 100% | 18:29 to 18:30, about 1 min |
| Madrid, Spain | Partial | 99% | 18:32 peak |
| Barcelona, Spain | Partial | 99% | 18:29 peak |
| Oran, Algeria | Partial | 95% | 18:39 peak |
| Málaga, Spain | Partial | 95% | 18:38 peak |
| Lisbon, Portugal | Partial | 94% | 18:36 peak |
| Dublin, Ireland | Partial | 94% | 18:11 peak |
| Cádiz, Spain | Partial | 93% | 18:39 peak |
| Tangier, Morocco | Partial | 92% | 18:40 peak |
| Paris, France | Partial | 92% | 18:17 peak |
| London, UK | Partial | 91% | 18:13 peak |
| Berlin, Germany | Partial | 85% | 18:08 peak |
| Dakar, Senegal | Partial | 37% | 19:12 peak |
| Boston, USA | Partial | 16% | 17:55 peak |
| New York, USA | Partial | 9% | 17:54 peak |
| Toronto, Canada | Partial | 8% | 17:40 peak |
| Chicago, USA | Partial | 0% | 17:28 peak |
What it touches for each sign
- Aries, your 5th house: a change of heart in love or in what you create
- Taurus, your 4th house: a turning point at home or in your family
- Gemini, your 3rd house: news, a key conversation or a change in your daily contacts
- Cancer, your 2nd house: a fresh look at your income and what you value
- Leo, your 1st house: a new start in how you present yourself
- Virgo, your 12th house: a chance to let something go and clear some room
- Libra, your 11th house: a change in your friendships or your long-range plans
- Scorpio, your 10th house: a turning point in your career or public standing
- Sagittarius, your 9th house: a new direction through travel, study or belief
- Capricorn, your 8th house: a shift in shared money, trust or closeness
- Aquarius, your 7th house: a turning point in a close relationship or partnership
- Pisces, your 6th house: a change in your job or your daily routine
Partial lunar eclipse, August 28, in Pisces
| Peak | |
|---|---|
| Position | 4° Pisces |
A partial lunar eclipse happens when part of the Moon passes into the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, so a dark bite slowly moves across it. It is safe to watch with the naked eye, from anywhere the Moon is up.
About 97% of the Moon is in the Earth's dark shadow at the peak, and the partial phase lasts 199 minutes.
Where to see it
Anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at 04:13 UTC can see the peak. From our list of cities, it stands highest over:
- São Paulo, Brazil (68° up)
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (66° up)
- Santiago, Chile (64° up)
- Buenos Aires, Argentina (64° up)
- Montevideo, Uruguay (63° up)
- Concepción, Chile (61° up)
- Neuquén, Argentina (60° up)
- Mexico City, Mexico (44° up)
- New York, USA (38° up)
- Dakar, Senegal (38° up)
- Boston, USA (37° up)
- Monrovia, Liberia (35° up)
- Toronto, Canada (34° up)
- Chicago, USA (33° up)
- Abidjan, Ivory Coast (28° up)
- Accra, Ghana (25° up)
- Los Angeles, USA (21° up)
- Lagos, Nigeria (21° up)
- Lisbon, Portugal (20° up)
- Tangier, Morocco (19° up)
- Cádiz, Spain (19° up)
- Málaga, Spain (17° up)
- A Coruña, Spain (17° up)
- Madrid, Spain (15° up)
What it touches for each sign
- Aries, your 12th house: a chance to let something go and clear some room
- Taurus, your 11th house: a change in your friendships or your long-range plans
- Gemini, your 10th house: a turning point in your career or public standing
- Cancer, your 9th house: a new direction through travel, study or belief
- Leo, your 8th house: a shift in shared money, trust or closeness
- Virgo, your 7th house: a turning point in a close relationship or partnership
- Libra, your 6th house: a change in your job or your daily routine
- Scorpio, your 5th house: a change of heart in love or in what you create
- Sagittarius, your 4th house: a turning point at home or in your family
- Capricorn, your 3rd house: news, a key conversation or a change in your daily contacts
- Aquarius, your 2nd house: a fresh look at your income and what you value
- Pisces, your 1st house: a new start in how you present yourself
What eclipses mean in astrology
Astrologers read an eclipse as a marker of a turning point in the part of life it falls in, for you, with its effects often showing over the following months. The eclipses of the year fell across different signs, so they touched different parts of the chart. Look up your sign's houses below to see which ones.
Eclipses 2026: questions people ask
How many eclipses are there in 2026?
There are 4: annular solar eclipse on February 17, total lunar eclipse on March 3, total solar eclipse on August 12, partial lunar eclipse on August 28.
When is eclipse season in 2026?
The eclipses of 2026 come in 2 seasons: February 17 to March 3 and August 12 to August 28.
Are eclipses bad in astrology?
No. Astrologers read them as turning points, not as good or bad events: moments when a part of your life tends to move faster, or when something that was already changing comes into the open. Most people find they make sense looking back over the following months.
Is it safe to look at an eclipse?
A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with no protection. A solar eclipse is only safe to view through proper eclipse glasses or a solar filter, except for the short moments of totality on the central track of a total eclipse.