Solar System Simulator · Sky · eclipses

Next eclipse

The next solar and lunar eclipses, worked out for your date and time zone.

Annular solar

Feb 6, 2027 · coming up

Next solar: Annular solar, Feb 6, 2027

Next lunar: Penumbral lunar, Feb 20, 2027

▶ See why in the simulatorJump to any eclipse and watch the shadows line up, or miss.

Coming up

EclipseDateTime
Annular solarFeb 6, 202715:56 UTC
Penumbral lunarFeb 20, 202723:21 UTC
Total solarAug 2, 202710:07 UTC
Penumbral lunarAug 17, 202707:32 UTC
Partial lunarJan 12, 202804:06 UTC
Annular solarJan 26, 202815:16 UTC
Partial lunarJul 6, 202818:10 UTC
Total solarJul 22, 202803:04 UTC

Times are the moment of greatest eclipse, worked out on this page; they agree with published ones to within about a quarter of an hour. A lunar eclipse can be seen from anywhere the Moon is up at the time. A solar eclipse is total or annular only along a narrow track, so check a local map for where it can be seen.

Eclipses in 2026

EclipseDateTime
Annular solarFeb 17, 202612:03 UTC
Total lunarMar 3, 202611:38 UTC
Total solarAug 12, 202617:37 UTC
Partial lunarAug 28, 202604:22 UTC

Eclipses in 2027

EclipseDateTime
Annular solarFeb 6, 202715:56 UTC
Penumbral lunarFeb 20, 202723:21 UTC
Total solarAug 2, 202710:07 UTC
Penumbral lunarAug 17, 202707:32 UTC

Why not every month?

An eclipse needs the Sun, Earth and Moon in a straight line: a new moon for a solar eclipse, a full moon for a lunar one. But the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's, so at most new and full moons it passes just above or below, and the shadows miss.

Only when a new or full moon falls while the Moon is crossing Earth's orbit plane do the shadows land. That lines up about every six months, which is why eclipses come in pairs, a fortnight apart, twice a year.

What the simulator does

  1. The list of upcoming eclipses starts from the sky's date. Tap one to jump to its moment of greatest eclipse.
  2. The top view shows the Sun, Earth and Moon in line. The side view shows the Moon's real height above or below Earth's orbit plane.
  3. At an eclipse the Moon's shadow lands on Earth, or the Moon turns red inside Earth's shadow. In other months it passes above or below and nothing happens.

Questions people ask

When is the next total solar eclipse?

Aug 2, 2027. Its path of totality crosses southern Spain, North Africa including Egypt, and Arabia. The table above lists every eclipse coming up, solar and lunar.

Why does the Moon turn red in a total lunar eclipse?

Earth blocks the direct sunlight, but some still reaches the Moon after passing through Earth's atmosphere, which bends it inward and filters out the blue — the light of every sunrise and sunset on Earth at once.

Why don't eclipses happen every month?

The Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's, so at most new and full moons the Moon passes above or below the line from the Sun to Earth. An eclipse happens only when a new or full moon falls just as the Moon crosses Earth's orbit plane, about every six months.

Keep going

What if the Sun disappeared?What if? · the Sun Voyager 1's trajectory, from 1977 to todayMission · Voyager 1 How a gravity assist worksWhat if? · gravity assist Why Mars launch windows come every 26 monthsWhat if? · Mars How far is the Moon, really?What if? · the Moon How long does a message to Mars take?What if? · lightspeed Jupiter's moonsClose-up · Jupiter Lagrange pointsSandbox · Lagrange points Moon phase todaySky · the Moon Open the sandboxSolar System Simulator — real N-body gravity Daily OrbitToday's sky, one probe, six launches

Every number on this page comes from the simulator's own physics or the real mission record it is checked against. Where the simulation and reality differ, the page says so.

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