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Austria is set for a year full of spectacular celestial events in 2026, including eclipses, meteor showers, and striking planetary appearances.
Stargazers and night owls in Austria have every reason to look up in 2026. The new year promises a rich lineup of astronomical highlights, from shooting‑star spectacles to rare eclipse events and eye‑catching planetary formations.
Meteor Showers Kick Off the Year
As tradition dictates, the Quadrantids opened the celestial calendar. The meteor shower reached its peak last weekend, though the low position of its radiant limited visibility and kept the number of observed meteors modest.
Far better conditions await in summer. The Perseids, peaking around 12 August, are expected to deliver the year’s most dazzling meteor display. Under ideal conditions, more than 100 meteors per hour could streak across the sky—especially after midnight.
Toward the end of the year, the Leonids and Geminids will provide a brilliant finale, offering two more opportunities for impressive night‑sky watching.
Four Eclipses in 2026 – Two Visible from Austria
A total of four eclipses will occur in 2026, with two at least partially visible from Austria.
- 12 August – Partial Solar Eclipse: The standout event for Austria. Visible across the entire country, the eclipse will unfold in the evening hours, reaching its maximum around 8 p.m., when roughly 80% of the Sun will be obscured. A total solar eclipse will occur the same day but will only be visible in Spain and Iceland.
- 27/28 August – Partial Lunar Eclipse: Beginning around 4:33 a.m., the eclipse will start before moonset. Its maximum phase, however, will occur after the Moon has already dipped below the horizon, making full observation impossible from Austria.
Two additional eclipses—the annular solar eclipse on 17 February and the total lunar eclipse on 3 March—will not be visible from Central Europe.
Planets Put on a Show
The planets will also shine in 2026:
- Venus becomes a brilliant evening star in the western sky starting in February. On 15 August, it reaches its greatest elongation from the Sun and remains visible until just before midnight. After disappearing from the evening sky in October, it reappears as a morning star in mid‑November.
- Mercury can be spotted around 19 February in the evening sky, with another viewing window around 20 November in the morning.
- Saturn begins the year as an evening object, shifts to the morning sky in May, and becomes visible all night long in October. Even a small telescope will reveal its iconic rings.
A Rich Astronomical Year Ahead
While auroras remain unlikely in Austria, the combination of meteor showers, eclipses, and striking planetary alignments ensures that 2026 will be a rewarding year for sky enthusiasts.
- Hector Pascua with reports from heute.at/picture: Image by Peter Schmidt from Pixabay
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