Welcome to the Boston Astronomy website!
This website has been created by and is supported by John Sheff, a Boston, MA - area amateur astronomer and informal astronomy educator. You can contact me at Boston Astronomy. My intention in creating this site is to provide a convenient resource for access to news and information about astronomy and space-related activities of interest to the community and the public.
Upcoming Astronomy-Related Events in the Boston Area
Jan. 8, 2026; 8:00 PM EDT - 10:00 PM EDT
Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston (ATMoB) Monthly Meeting
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Speaker and Topic: TBA
The sky as seen from Boston on Jan. 15, 2026, at 6:00 PM EST
Major Astronomical Events |
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January 2026 |
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| Jan. 1 | Thur. | 4:44 PM EST | Moon @ perigee (360,348 km / 223,910 mi / 56.56 Earth radii) |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 5:03 AM EST | Full Moon ("Full Wolf Moon") |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 7:13:48 AM EST | Latest sunrise of the year (7:13:48 AM EST) |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 12:16 PM EST | Earth @ perihelion (0.9833 AU / 147,093,163 km / 91,399,454 mi) |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 5:00 PM EST | Moon 4° N of Jupiter, 171° from Sun in morning midnight sky |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 5:36 PM EST | Quadrantid meteors peak (poor) |
| Jan. 6 | Tue. | 12:11 PM EST | Venus @ superior conjunction |
| Jan. 9 | Fri. | 6:07 AM EST | Mars @ solar conjunction |
| Jan. 10 | Sat. | 3:35 AM EST | Jupiter @ opposition |
| Jan. 10 | Sat. | 10:48 AM EST | Last Quarter Moon |
| Jan. 13 | Tue. | 3:47 PM EST | Moon @ apogee (405,439 km / 251,928 mi / 63.64 Earth radii) |
| Jan. 18 | Sun. | 2:52 PM EST | New Moon |
| Jan. 19 | Mon. | 4:00 PM EST | Sun enters Capricornus |
| Jan. 21 | Wed. | 11:02 AM EST | Mercury @ superior conjunction |
| Jan. 23 | Fri. | 8:00 AM EST | Moon 4° N of Saturn, 54° from Sun in evening sky |
| Jan. 23 | Fri. | 11:00 AM EST | Moon 4° N of Neptune, 56° from Sun in evening sky |
| Jan. 25 | Sun. | 11:47 PM EST | First Quarter Moon |
| Jan. 27 | Tue. | 2:00 PM EST | Moon 5° N of Uranus, 110° from Sun in evening sky |
| Jan. 29 | Thur. | 4:46 PM EST | Moon @ perigee (365,870 km / 227,341 mi / 57.43 Earth radii) |
| Jan. 30 | Fri. | 9:00 PM EST | Moon 4° N of Jupiter, 156° from Sun in evening sky |
Bold = cool or important |
* = not visible from Boston | ||
An Overview of Major Astronomical and Space Events in 2026 |
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| Jan. 3 | Fri. | 7:13:48 AM EST | Latest sunrise of the year (7:13:48 AM EST) |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 12:16 PM EST | Earth @ perihelion (0.9833 AU / 147,093,163 km / 91,399,454 mi) |
| Jan. 3 | Sat. | 5:36 PM EST | Quadrantid meteors peak (poor) |
| Jan. 6 | Tue. | 12:11 PM EST | Venus @ superior conjunction |
| Jan. 10 | Sat. | 3:35 AM EST | Jupiter @ opposition |
| Jan. 21 | Wed. | 11:02 AM EST | Mercury @ superior conjunction |
| Feb. 2 | Sat. | 8:53 PM EST - 9:58 PM EST | Moon occults Regulus |
| Feb. 5 | Thur. | Artemis II launch ? | |
| Feb. 19 | Thur. | 9:35 AM EST | Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (18.1° E of Sun) |
| Feb. 20 | Fri. | 5:23 PM EST | Mercury @ highest altitude (16° above horizon) |
| Mar. 3 | Tue. | Solar Orbiter @ perihelion # 12 | |
| Mar. 3 | Tue. | 3:44 AM EST | Total lunar eclipse (Moon enters penumbra) |
| Mar. 3 | Tue. | 4:50 AM EST | Total lunar eclipse (Moon enters umbra) |
| Mar. 3 | Tue. | 6:04 AM EST | Total lunar eclipse begins |
| Mar. 3 | Tue. | 6:18 AM EST | Moonset in Boston |
| Mar. 7 | Sat. | 5:58 AM EST | Mercury @ inferior conjunction |
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Mar. 8 |
Sun. |
2:00 AM EST / 3:00 AM EDT |
Daylight Saving Time begins |
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Mar. 17 |
Tue. |
6:52 AM EDT - 6:52 PM EDT |
Equilux (day and night of equal length) |
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Mar. 20 |
Fri. |
10:48 AM EDT |
March (Spring) Equinox |
| Mar. 22 | Sun. | 7:10 AM EDT | Neptune @ solar conjunction |
| Mar. 25 | Wed. | 4:45 AM EDT | Saturn @ solar conjunction |
| Mar. 27 | Sat. | 6:31 AM EDT | Mercury @ highest altitude (9° above horizon) |
| Apr. 3 | Fri. | 2:49 PM EDT | Mercury @ greatest western elongation (27.5°W of Sun) |
| Apr. 22 | Tue. | 9:00 AM EDT | Lyrid meteors (good) |
| May ?? | Psyche mission Mars flyby (sometime in May) | ||
| May 14 | Thur. | 10:31 AM EDT | Mercury @ superior conjunction |
| May 22 | Fri. | 10:17 AM EDT | Uranus @ solar conjunction |
| Jun. 5 | Fri. | 8:16 PM EDT | Venus @ highest altitude (26° above horizon) |
| Jun. 7 | Sat. | Tianwen-2 orbital insertion around quasi-moon 469219 Kamoʻoalewaamoʻoalewa | |
| Jun. 10 | Wed. | 8:20 PM EDT | Mercury @ highest altitude (17° above horizon) |
| Jun. 14 | Sun. | 5:07 AM EDT | Earliest sunrise of year (5:07:00 AM EDT) |
| Jun. 15 | Mon. | 6:40 PM EDT | Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (24.5° E of Sun) |
| Jun. 17 | Wed. | 4:01 PM EDT - 5:09 PM EDT | Moon occults Venus (daylight) |
| Jun. 21 | Sun. | 4:28 AM EDT | June (Summer) Solstice |
| Jun. 24 | Tue. | 11:00 EDT | Jupiter @ solar conjunction |
| Jun. 27 | Sat. | 8:25 PM EDT | Latest sunset of year (8:25:23 PM) |
| Jun. 30 | Tue. | Asteroid Day | |
| Jul. 4 | Fri. | Tianwen-2 469219 Kamo'oalewa quasi-moon rendezvous and sample collection | |
| Jul. 4 | Fri. | 1:00 AM EDT | Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (25.9° E of Sun) |
| Jul. 5 | Sat. | Hayabusa2 extended mission makes flyby of Torifune less than 100 km (62 mi) from the asteroid (sometime in July) | |
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Jul. 6 |
Mon. | 1:31 PM EDT | Earth @ aphelion (1.017 AU / 152.1 million km / 94,510,886 miles) |
| Jul. 12 | Sun. | 9:21 PM EDT | Mercury @ inferior conjunction |
| Jul. 29 | Wed. | 8:07 AAM EDT | Jupiter @ solar conjunction |
| Aug. 2 | Sun. | 9:55 AM EDT | Mercury @ greatest western elongation (18.6° W of Sun) |
| Aug. 5 | Wed. | 5:38 AM EDT | Mercury @ highest altitude in morning sky (15° above horizon) |
| Aug. 12 | Wed. | 1:14 PM EDT | Partial solar eclipse begins |
| Aug. 12 | Wed. | 1:55 PM EDT | Maxmum partial solar eclipse |
| Aug. 12 | Wed. | 2:46 PM EDT | Partial solar eclipse ends |
| Aug. 12 | Wed. | 10:10 PM EDT | Perseid meteors (excellent) |
| Aug. 14 | Fri. | 6:00 PM EDT | Venus @ greatest elongation east (45.9° E of Sun) |
| Aug. 18 | Tue. | Solar Orbiter @ perihelion # 13 | |
| Aug. 27 | Thur. | 1:12 PM EDT | Mercury @ superior conjunction |
| Aug. 27 | Thu. | 9:24 PM EDT | Penumbral lunar eclipse begins |
| Aug. 27 | Thu. | 10:33 PM EDT | Umbral lunar eclipse begins |
| Aug. 28 | Fri. | 12:42 AM EDT | Maximum lunar eclipse |
| Aug. 28 | Fri. | 1:52 AM EDT | Umbral lunar eclipse ends |
| Aug. 28 | Fri. | 3:02 AM EDT | Penumbral lunar eclipse ends |
| Sept. 8 | Tue. | 2:56 PM EDT - 3:56 PM EDT | Moon occults Jupiter (daytime) |
| Sept. 19 | Sat. | Astronomy Day | |
| Sept. 22 | Tue. | 1:32 PM EDT | Venus @ greatest brilliancy (mag. -4.6) |
| Sept. 22 | Tue. | 8:09 PM EDT | September equinox |
| Sept. 25 | Fri. | 6:36 AM EDT - 6:36 PM EDT | Equilux (day and night of equal length) |
| Sept. 25 | Fri. | 9:28 PM EDT | Neptune @ opposition |
| Sept. 29 | Tue. | JUICE second Earth flyby | |
| Oct. 4 | Sun. | 8:21 AM EDT | Saturn @ opposition |
| Oct. 6 | Tue. | 4:37 AM EDT - 5:31 AM EDT | Moon occults Jupiter |
| Oct. 8 | Thur. | 6:17 PM EDT | Mercury @ highest altitude in evening sky (7° above horizon) |
| Oct. 12 | Mon. | 1:50 AM EDT | Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (25.2° E of Sun) |
| Oct. 21 | Tue. | 8:00 AM EDT | Orionid meteors (good) |
| Oct. 23 | Fri. | 11:30 PM EDT | Venus @ inferior conjunction |
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Nov. 1 |
Sun. |
1:00 AM EST / 2:00 AM EDT |
Daylight Saving Time ends |
| Nov. 4 | Wed. | 9:21 AM EST | Mercury @ inferior conjunnction |
| Nov. 17 | Tue. | 12:00 PM EST | Leonid meteors (good) |
| Nov. 19 | Thur. | 6:37 AM EST | Mercury @ highest altitude in morning sky (17° above horizon) |
| Nov. 20 | Fri. | 7:34 PM EST | Mercury @ greatest western elongation (18.6° W of Sun) |
| Nov. 21 | Sat. | BepiColombo Mercury orbit insertion | |
| Nov. 25 | Wed. | 5:33 PM EST | Uranus @ opposition |
| Nov. 27 | Fri. | 1:38 PM EST | Venus @ greatest brilliancy (mag. - 4.7) |
| Dec.3 | Thur. | 4:15 PM EST | Europa Clipper Earth flyby |
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Dec. 8 |
Tue. |
4:11 PM EST |
Earliest sunset of year (4:11:40 PM EST) |
| Dec. 11 | Fri. | 1:21 PM EST | Venus @ highest altitude in morning sky (33° above horizon) |
| Dec. 14 | Mon. | 8:51 AM EST | Geminid meteors (poor) |
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Dec. 21 |
Mon. |
3:54 PM EST |
December (Winter) Solstice |
| Dec. 22 | Tue. | 11:00 AM EST | Ursid meteors (poor) |
| Dec. 24 | Thur. | 6:04 PM EST | Solar Orbiter Venus flyby # 5 |
| Dec. 28 | Mon. | Hera arrives @ binary asteroid 65803 Didymos | |
Bold = cool or important |
* = not visible from Boston | ||