2026 Awaits with Partial Solar Eclipse

The main attractions of the astronomical year 2026 are concentrated in August: the highlight is a partial solar eclipse on August 12th. The sun will set 89 percent eclipsed - the strongest solar eclipse in our region since 1999. The new moon on this night coincides with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. A few days later, on August 28th, there will be a partial lunar eclipse, which will only be partially visible in our area.

The first eclipses of the year 2026 are a disappointment in our region: The annular solar eclipse on February 17th can practically only be observed from Antarctica. The total lunar eclipse on March 3rd is not visible at all in Austria; it can be observed in the Pacific, the western part of North America, East Asia, and parts of Australia.

Solar Eclipse Approaching

Described as the "undisputed highlight of the year" by the "Astronomical Almanac for Austria 2026," a joint production by members of several amateur astronomy clubs, is the partial solar eclipse on August 12th. From Austria, the sun will be eclipsed in the evening hours and will set almost 90 percent eclipsed as a narrow crescent, with slightly downward-tilted tips, behind the horizon. According to experts, this is "the strongest solar eclipse since the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999."

Those who want to experience the eclipse in totality do not have to travel too far: The area of total eclipse runs across the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands.

Shooting Stars as a Bonus?

A solar eclipse only occurs during a new moon. And this creates ideal conditions to observe the Perseid meteor shower, which will reach its peak on the night of August 13th - just a few hours after the solar eclipse. Assuming the weather is appropriate, many shooting stars can be expected. Basically, you can see shooting stars all year round when the sky is clear. However, it is especially worthwhile to look at the sky when the Earth crosses a comet's path on its orbit around the sun. For the Perseids, this is the dust trail left by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle on its path every year in mid-August.

In the dawn of August 28th, a partial lunar eclipse will be partially visible in Austria. The moon will set during the partial eclipse.

Several Planets Appear

From February 9th to 27th, four planets can be seen with the naked eye in the evening (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn). In November, four planets will again appear simultaneously in the morning sky; at this time, they are Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.

The head of the Vienna Working Group for Astronomy (WAA), Alexander Pikhard, points to a "rare curiosity": At the end of 2026, the planet Uranus will again be exactly at the position where it was first seen in 1690 by England's first royal astronomer, John Flamsteed - exactly four Uranus years ago (4 x 84 = 336 years). However, Flamsteed mistook it for a fixed star at the time. It was not until more than 90 years later, on March 13, 1781, that Uranus was recognized as a planet by William Herschel and thus officially discovered.

There is still a wait for a new star in the firmament: Astronomers have been expecting a stellar explosion in the star system "T Coronae Borealis," about 3,000 light-years away, since 2024. But all previous predictions have not held. "T Coronae Borealis" is a binary star system where a white dwarf, the end stage of a giant sun, siphons material from its neighboring star. This process discharges in a nuclear explosion approximately every 80 years after exceeding a critical limit. When this will happen is, quite literally, written in the stars. Once it does, "T Coronae Borealis" will shine as brightly as the North Star for about a week; it can be found in the constellation of the Northern Crown.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.