Eclipses 2026

Retrograde windows run from the station-retrograde day to the station-direct day, both counted, in UTC — the same windows as the 2026 retrograde calendar.

Eclipses and times of greatest eclipse are computed with astronomy-engine and checked against NASA’s eclipse catalog; see the method.

01When are the eclipses in 2026?

Annular solar: 17 Feb 2026, 28° Aquarius; Total lunar: 3 Mar 2026, 12° Virgo; Total solar: 12 Aug 2026, 20° Leo; Partial lunar: 28 Aug 2026, 4° Pisces. Times of greatest eclipse are on this page, in UTC.

02When is eclipse season in 2026?

9 Feb 2026 to 17 Mar 2026 (north node); 4 Aug 2026 to 10 Sep 2026 (south node). A season here is every UTC day on which the Sun stands within 18.5° of one of the Moon’s nodes.

03Which planets are retrograde during the 2026 eclipses?

Annular solar eclipse on 17 Feb: Retrograde that day: Jupiter. Total lunar eclipse on 3 Mar: Retrograde that day: Mercury and Jupiter. It falls on day 6 of a 23-day Mercury retrograde. Total solar eclipse on 12 Aug: Retrograde that day: Saturn, Neptune and Pluto. Partial lunar eclipse on 28 Aug: Retrograde that day: Saturn, Neptune and Pluto.

04What is an eclipse season?

The Moon’s orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Sun’s path, so most new and full moons pass above or below the Sun or Earth’s shadow. Twice a year, for about five weeks, the Sun stands near one of the two points where the orbits cross, the nodes; any new or full moon then is close enough to the node to cast or catch a shadow. Every season has at least two eclipses, a solar and a lunar, and sometimes three.