Eclipses, dated.
Every solar and lunar eclipse through 2028, computed from the real geometry — peak instants in universal time, with the sign each one lands in.
The eclipses, 2026–2028
Peak times in universal time. Solar eclipses are visible along a limited track; lunar eclipses from the whole night side of Earth.
| Peak | UTC | Eclipse | In | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, February 17, 2026 | 12:11 | Annular solar | Aquarius | ring eclipse — 93% of the Sun covered at maximum |
| Tue, March 3, 2026 | 11:33 | Total lunar | Virgo | totality lasts about 59 minutes |
| Wed, August 12, 2026 | 17:45 | Total solar | Leo | totality — the Sun fully covered along the track |
| Fri, August 28, 2026 | 04:12 | Partial lunar | Pisces | 97% of the Moon in shadow at maximum |
| Sat, February 6, 2027 | 15:59 | Annular solar | Aquarius | ring eclipse — 86% of the Sun covered at maximum |
| Sat, February 20, 2027 | 23:12 | Penumbral lunar | Virgo | penumbral — a subtle shading, easy to miss |
| Sun, July 18, 2027 | 16:02 | Penumbral lunar | Capricorn | penumbral — a subtle shading, easy to miss |
| Mon, August 2, 2027 | 10:06 | Total solar | Leo | totality — the Sun fully covered along the track |
| Tue, August 17, 2027 | 07:13 | Penumbral lunar | Aquarius | penumbral — a subtle shading, easy to miss |
| Wed, January 12, 2028 | 04:13 | Partial lunar | Cancer | 3% of the Moon in shadow at maximum |
| Wed, January 26, 2028 | 15:07 | Annular solar | Aquarius | ring eclipse — 85% of the Sun covered at maximum |
| Thu, July 6, 2028 | 18:19 | Partial lunar | Capricorn | 33% of the Moon in shadow at maximum |
| Sat, July 22, 2028 | 02:55 | Total solar | Cancer | totality — the Sun fully covered along the track |
| Sun, December 31, 2028 | 16:51 | Total lunar | Cancer | totality lasts about 72 minutes |
What an eclipse is
Every eclipse is a new or full moon with better aim than usual. The Moon’s orbit tilts about five degrees against the Sun’s path, so most months its shadow misses us and Earth’s shadow misses it. Twice a year the crossing points — the nodes — line up with the Sun, and for a few weeks any lunation lands square in the geometry: a new moon blocks the Sun somewhere on Earth, a full moon slides into Earth’s shadow. That is the whole machinery, and it is why the table above clusters into seasons.
The one worth planning around is August 12, 2026 — the first total solar eclipse over mainland Europe since 1999. Totality crosses Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain in the late afternoon; most of Europe sees a deep partial. A lunar eclipse needs no travel: the March 3, 2026 total lunar eclipse, with the Moon in Virgo, is visible from the entire night side, totality lasting about an hour.
Astrology reads eclipses as lunations with the volume turned up, because they happen on the nodal axis the tradition associates with direction — where you’re headed and what you’re leaving. The working advice is unglamorous: watch what surfaces in the lunation cycle those weeks, and read the sign pairing against your own chart rather than the headlines. The monthly horoscopes date each one as it arrives.
Questions, answered
When is the next solar eclipse?
A total solar eclipse peaks on Wed, August 12, 2026, with the Sun in Leo. Solar eclipses are only visible from a limited track — for the August 12, 2026 total eclipse, totality crosses Greenland, western Iceland, and northern Spain.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
A partial lunar eclipse peaks on Fri, August 28, 2026, with the Moon in Pisces. Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night side of Earth at once.
What is the difference between a solar and a lunar eclipse?
A solar eclipse is the Moon passing in front of the Sun at a new moon — visible only along a narrow track, in daylight. A lunar eclipse is the Moon passing through Earth’s shadow at a full moon — visible from anywhere the Moon is up, and safe to watch with bare eyes. Solar eclipses need eye protection at every stage short of totality.
Why do eclipses come in pairs?
The Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees, so most new and full moons miss the alignment. Twice a year the geometry lines up for a few weeks — an eclipse season — and inside each season you usually get one solar and one lunar eclipse about two weeks apart. The table shows the rhythm: February–March and August in 2026.
What do eclipses mean in astrology?
Astrologers read eclipses as amplified lunations: a new or full moon that lands close to the Moon’s nodes, the points astrology associates with direction and change. The tradition treats them as accelerants — beginnings and endings arriving faster than usual — in whichever part of your chart holds the eclipse’s degree. Finding that part takes your birth chart.