Quick Answer: There are four eclipses in 2026: an annular solar eclipse on February 17 at 28°49′ Aquarius, a total lunar eclipse on March 3 at 12°54′ Virgo, a total solar eclipse on August 12 at 20°02′ Leo, and a partial lunar eclipse on August 28 at 4°54′ Pisces. All times are given in UTC. The total solar eclipse over Greenland, Iceland and Spain on August 12 is the headline event of the year.
Eclipses are the sky’s punctuation marks. They arrive in pairs, roughly two weeks apart, and they tend to accelerate whatever a chart is already moving toward. In 2026 the four eclipses fall in two clean seasons: a late-winter pair across the Aquarius and Virgo axis, and a late-summer pair across the Leo and Pisces axis. This is your complete calendar, with the exact dates, degrees, and a clear sense of what each one asks.
2026 Eclipses at a Glance
The table below lists every eclipse in the order it occurs, with the exact moment of maximum eclipse in UTC and the zodiac degree.
| Date | Type | Degree and Sign | Maximum (UTC) | Where Visible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17 | Annular Solar | 28°49′ Aquarius | 12:12 | Antarctica, southern hemisphere |
| March 3 | Total Lunar | 12°54′ Virgo | 11:33 | Americas, Pacific, East Asia |
| August 12 | Total Solar | 20°02′ Leo | 17:45:53 | Greenland, Iceland, Spain |
| August 28 | Partial Lunar | 4°54′ Pisces | ~04:13 | Americas, Europe, Africa |
Two solar eclipses fall on new moons; two lunar eclipses fall on full moons. That is the ordinary rhythm. What makes 2026 memorable is the total solar eclipse in August, whose path of totality crosses inhabited land in the northern hemisphere.
February 17: Annular Solar Eclipse in Aquarius
The year opens its eclipse cycle with an annular solar eclipse at 28°49′ Aquarius on February 17, greatest at 12:12 UTC. In an annular eclipse the Moon is slightly too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely, so a bright ring, the famous “ring of fire,” remains around the dark disc.
At the very end of Aquarius, this new moon speaks to community, ideals, and the systems we build together. Seeds planted here concern the future you want to belong to rather than the one you inherited. Eclipse seeds germinate slowly; notice what begins now and revisit it over the following six months.
March 3: Total Lunar Eclipse in Virgo
Two weeks later, on March 3, a total lunar eclipse reddens the full moon at 12°54′ Virgo, with totality from roughly 11:04 to 12:03 UTC. A totally eclipsed Moon turns a deep coppery red, which is why it is often called a Blood Moon.
Lunar eclipses bring things to culmination and release. In practical, discerning Virgo, this one asks what routines, work, and health habits have quietly outgrown their usefulness. Something you have been perfecting may be ready to be finished rather than fixed.
August 12: Total Solar Eclipse in Leo
This is the eclipse of the year. On August 12 at 20°02′ Leo, the Moon fully covers the Sun, with maximum eclipse at 17:45:53 UTC. The path of totality sweeps across Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain, making it one of the most watched eclipses of the decade.
A total solar eclipse in Leo touches the heart, creativity, and the courage to be seen. This new moon plants a bold seed about how you shine and what you are willing to claim. Classic eclipse etiquette applies: do not force a major decision in the first forty-eight hours. Eclipses reveal on a delay, so watch what arrives unbidden in the weeks that follow.
August 28: Partial Lunar Eclipse in Pisces
The year’s eclipse cycle closes on August 28 with a partial lunar eclipse at 4°54′ Pisces, greatest near 04:13 UTC. Only part of the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow, so a bite of darkness crosses its face rather than a full coppery veil.
In tender, boundless Pisces, this full moon works on feeling, intuition, and the quiet places where we blur into one another. It completes the story the August 12 eclipse began: Leo asked you to step forward, and Pisces asks what you are ready to release so that you can.
How to Work With the 2026 Eclipses
Eclipses are not something to fear. They are timing signals. A few grounded principles help:
- Wait before acting. The forty-eight hours around an eclipse are foggy. Clarity comes days later.
- Watch the pairs. February and March form one story across Aquarius and Virgo; August’s two eclipses form another across Leo and Pisces.
- Notice your houses. Where 28° Aquarius, 12° Virgo, 20° Leo, and 4° Pisces fall in your own chart shows which areas of life are getting the plot twist. You can see these placements in your free natal chart.
For the wider rhythm of the year, pair this with the 2026 Moon calendar and the 2026 Mercury retrograde calendar.