Almanac
Almanac 2026
In 2026 there are 12 new moons, 13 full moons and 4 eclipses, and Mercury turns retrograde 3 times.
Every date on this page is computed by Nadir and given in Universal Time (UTC). In your time zone, an event close to midnight may fall on the day before or the day after.
The Moon
New and full moons
January
Full moon in Cancer
January 3, 10:03 UTCNew moon in Capricorn
January 18, 19:52 UTC
February
Full moon in Leo
February 1, 22:09 UTCNew moon in Aquarius
February 17, 12:01 UTCAnnular solar eclipse in Aquarius
March
Full moon in Virgo
March 3, 11:38 UTCTotal lunar eclipse in VirgoNew moon in Pisces
March 19, 01:24 UTC
April
Full moon in Libra
April 2, 02:12 UTCNew moon in Aries
April 17, 11:52 UTC
May
Full moon in Scorpio
May 1, 17:23 UTCNew moon in Taurus
May 16, 20:01 UTCFull moon in Sagittarius
May 31, 08:45 UTC
June
New moon in Gemini
June 15, 02:54 UTCFull moon in Capricorn
June 29, 23:57 UTC
July
New moon in Cancer
July 14, 09:44 UTCFull moon in Aquarius
July 29, 14:36 UTC
August
New moon in Leo
August 12, 17:37 UTCTotal solar eclipse in LeoFull moon in Pisces
August 28, 04:19 UTCPartial lunar eclipse in Pisces
September
New moon in Virgo
September 11, 03:27 UTCFull moon in Aries
September 26, 16:49 UTC
October
New moon in Libra
October 10, 15:50 UTCFull moon in Taurus
October 26, 04:12 UTC
November
New moon in Scorpio
November 9, 07:02 UTCFull moon in Gemini
November 24, 14:54 UTC
December
New moon in Sagittarius
December 9, 00:52 UTCFull moon in Cancer
December 24, 01:28 UTC
Sun and Moon
Eclipses
- Annular solar eclipse in AquariusFebruary 17, 12:11 UTC
- Total lunar eclipse in VirgoMarch 3, 11:33 UTC
- Total solar eclipse in LeoAugust 12, 17:45 UTC
- Partial lunar eclipse in PiscesAugust 28, 04:12 UTC
An eclipse is a new or full moon that falls close to the points where the Moon's path crosses the Sun's. The time given is the middle of the eclipse. It is astronomy, not an omen.
Retrograde
Retrograde periods
Mercury
February 26 to March 20 · June 29 to July 23 · October 24 to November 13
Venus
October 3 to November 13
Jupiter
November 11, 2025 to March 11 · December 13 to April 13, 2027
Saturn
July 26 to December 10
Uranus
September 6, 2025 to February 4 · September 10 to February 8, 2027
Neptune
July 7 to December 12
Pluto
May 6 to October 16
A planet is retrograde when, seen from the Earth, it appears to move backwards through the zodiac. It is an effect of perspective, and nothing to be afraid of.
The year turns
Solstices and equinoxes
March equinox, the Sun enters Aries
March 20, 14:45 UTC
June solstice, the Sun enters Cancer
June 21, 08:25 UTC
September equinox, the Sun enters Libra
September 23, 00:05 UTC
December solstice, the Sun enters Capricorn
December 21, 20:50 UTC
The letter
A letter on each new moon
The New Moon letter arrives on each of the new moons above: a reflection and a question to write about. It is free.