2026 and 2027 eclipses: dates, times, and visibility
Eclipses are read as turning points: one period closes, another opens.
- alignment
- shadow
- threshold
By Thomas Guilhot · updated
Next: Annular solar eclipse, February 6, 2027
Eclipses at a glance
A threshold between two periods: what ends, what begins.
A rare marker, which tradition reads as the moment to turn a page.
The Sun must never be looked at without protection: only a compliant filter protects the eyes.
- Next eclipse
- Annular solar eclipse, February 6, 2027
- Eclipses in 2026
- 2 solar, 2 lunar
- Eclipses in 2027
- 2 solar, 3 lunar
- Seen from Paris
- 4 of 9, fully or partly
The eclipses of 2026 and 2027
Paris time at the eclipse’s maximum; one page per eclipse, with what can be seen of it from Paris.
- Annular solar eclipseTuesday, February 17, 2026, 13 h 11 · Sun in AquariusNot visible from Paris
- Total lunar eclipseTuesday, March 3, 2026, 12 h 33 · Moon in VirgoNot visible from Paris
- Total solar eclipseWednesday, August 12, 2026, 19 h 45 · Sun in LeoVisible from Paris: partial, 92%
- Partial lunar eclipseFriday, August 28, 2026, 06 h 12 · Moon in PiscesPartly visible from Paris
- Annular solar eclipseSaturday, February 6, 2027, 16 h 59 · Sun in AquariusNot visible from Paris
- Penumbral lunar eclipseSunday, February 21, 2027, 00 h 12 · Moon in VirgoVisible from Paris
- Penumbral lunar eclipseSunday, July 18, 2027, 18 h 02 · Moon in CapricornNot visible from Paris
- Total solar eclipseMonday, August 2, 2027, 12 h 06 · Sun in LeoVisible from Paris: partial, 51%
- Penumbral lunar eclipseTuesday, August 17, 2027, 09 h 13 · Moon in AquariusNot visible from Paris
What tradition says
The oldest astrological omens are eclipses. Mesopotamian diviners recorded on tablets, in the series Enuma Anu Enlil, what they announced to the king, and they were dreaded as a sign addressed to those in power. In China, people saw a dragon devouring the Sun; in many cultures, people made a racket to drive it away. Ptolemy devotes a chapter of his Tetrabiblos to their effects on regions or peoples, depending on the sign where they fall.
Modern astrology reads endings and beginnings into them instead. A solar eclipse, at a new moon, would mark a start; a lunar eclipse, at a full moon, a culmination or an unveiling, with the sign and house they touch specifying the area concerned. Many people see them above all as an occasion to take stock. No serious work has linked these alignments to our lives, and nothing is set off because a shadow passes: these are readings, reported in the conditional.
A reading of the sky to take as food for thought, not to be followed blindly: the dates are calculated, and what tradition associates with them is reported in the conditional, announcing nothing. Why?
How an eclipse happens
The Moon circles the Earth in a month, but its orbit is tilted by a little over five degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Almost every month, it therefore passes slightly above or below the Sun-Earth line, and the shadow of one does not touch the other. An eclipse happens when the new moon or full moon falls near one of the two points where the orbits cross, the lunar nodes. This happens in windows of about a month, twice a year, called eclipse seasons.
At the new moon, the Moon can pass in front of the Sun: that is a solar eclipse, visible only where its shadow falls, a narrow band. At the full moon, it can cross the shadow cast by the Earth: that is a lunar eclipse, visible from the whole side of the Earth where the Moon is up. Eclipses repeat according to the saros cycle, of about 18 years and 11 days, known to Babylonian astronomers.
Total, annular, partial, penumbral
Total
Solar eclipse: the Moon completely hides the Sun’s disk, the sky darkens, and the corona appears. Lunar eclipse: the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow entirely and turns a coppery red.
Annular
For a solar eclipse only. The Moon, a little too far from us, looks smaller than the Sun and leaves a ring of light around it. The sky barely darkens: protection remains necessary throughout.
Partial
The Sun is only partly hidden, or the Moon is only partly in the Earth’s shadow. This is the case for every place outside the central band of a solar eclipse, which sees only part of it.
Penumbral
For a lunar eclipse only. The Moon crosses the Earth’s penumbra without touching its sharp-edged shadow. The dimming is so slight that the eye rarely notices it, without a photo for comparison.
Never look at the Sun with the naked eye, even when it is largely covered: only eclipse glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard, or projection, protect your eyes.
Watching an eclipse safely
A lunar eclipse can be watched with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope, with no special precaution, for as long as you like. A solar eclipse demands protection at every second the disk is not entirely hidden: eclipse glasses meeting the ISO 12312-2 standard, checked for damage, or projection of the Sun onto a piece of cardboard through a small hole. No sunglasses, no X-ray film, no smoked glass. Binoculars, telescopes, and cameras need a solar filter fixed in front of the lens, never behind it.
The Moon and its nodes
Frequently asked questions about eclipses
What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?
In a solar eclipse, the Moon comes between us and the Sun: it happens at the new moon and is visible only along a narrow band. In a lunar eclipse, the Earth sits between the Sun and the Moon, which crosses its shadow: it happens at the full moon and can be seen from the entire half of the Earth where the Moon is up.
Why isn’t there an eclipse at every new moon?
The plane of its orbit is tilted by about five degrees: each month, the Moon passes higher or lower than the Sun-Earth line, and its shadow misses the target. The new or full moon has to fall near a node, where the lunar orbit crosses the Sun’s path: these windows open twice a year, for a few weeks at a time.
How can you watch a solar eclipse safely?
With eclipse glasses marked ISO 12312-2, free of scratches and tears, bought from a reputable seller, or by projecting the Sun’s image onto a screen. Ordinary sunglasses are not enough. Only full totality, when the disk is entirely hidden, can be viewed without a filter, and nothing of the kind applies to an annular or partial eclipse.
What does astrology say about eclipses?
Tradition reads thresholds into them: a solar eclipse would be a beginning, a lunar eclipse a completion or a revelation, in the area of life indicated by their sign and house. Ancient sources also associate them with omens for kings. Reported in the conditional: nothing is proven, and no eclipse decides what you will do.