The Best Things to See in the Night Sky in 2027

Every year the sky puts on a slightly different show. In 2027 the headline act is a total solar eclipse on 2 August. The UK is well north of the path of totality, but we'll still see a good partial eclipse. That's far from the only date to circle, though. Two bright planets reach opposition within a week of each other, there's a Blue Moon, Venus and Mars pass very close together, and the best meteor shower of the summer gets a few dark hours before dawn.

Here's our month-by-month guide. Times are given in UK time: GMT until 28 March and from 31 October, BST in between. Most events need only your eyes, though binoculars help. Readers in North America will find notes at the end.

January: a thin Moon for the Quadrantids

The year starts with Earth at perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on 3 January. (Our seasons come from Earth's tilt, not its distance from the Sun.) The same day, Venus reaches its greatest distance west of the Sun. It rises around 4 am and blazes in the south-south-east before dawn.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks in the early hours of 4 January. Its peak is short and sharp, and forecasts of the exact hour vary, so give yourself a couple of hours before dawn. This year the Moon is only a thin crescent that rises at about 5:40 am, so it shouldn't get in the way.

February: Jupiter and Mars at their best

February is planet month. Jupiter reaches opposition on 11 February and Mars follows on 19 February. At opposition, a planet sits opposite the Sun in our sky. It rises at sunset, is up all night and is at its brightest. Both planets are in Leo. Around midnight they're high in the south: Jupiter shines a creamy white and Mars is orange, about ten degrees to its east. Mars won't look as big as it does at some oppositions, because even at its closest this year it's about 100 million km away. It's still well worth a look.

On the evening of 20 February there's a penumbral lunar eclipse. The full Moon slips through the faint outer part of Earth's shadow, and it's greatest at about 23:13 GMT. The whole eclipse can be seen from the UK, with the Moon high in the south. The effect is subtle: one edge of the Moon looks a little dusky, rather than turning red. Earlier in the month, on 3 February, Mercury is at its best in the evening sky, low in the west-south-west after sunset.

March: the equinox and a planetary pairing

The March equinox arrives at 20:25 GMT on 20 March, and clocks go forward on 28 March. At the end of the month, Mars and Jupiter sit about four degrees apart, high in the southern sky in the evening, a pretty pair for binoculars.

April: a bright-Moon Lyrids

The Lyrid meteors peak in the early hours of 23 April. Unfortunately the Moon is almost full and up for most of the night, so you'll see only the brightest meteors.

May: a Blue Moon

The full Moon on 20 May (11:59 BST) is a seasonal Blue Moon. Usually there are three full Moons between an equinox and the next solstice. This spring there are four, and by tradition the third one is called the Blue Moon. Don't expect it to look blue. On 28 May, Mercury has another good evening showing, low in the west-north-west after sunset.

June and July: light nights

The June solstice is at 15:11 BST on 21 June. Around midsummer the sky never gets fully dark anywhere in the UK, so this is a time for the Moon and bright planets. On 5 July, Earth reaches aphelion, its farthest point from the Sun.

August: the eclipse and the Perseids

On the morning of Monday 2 August the Moon passes in front of the Sun. From Spain, Gibraltar and North Africa, and on across Egypt and Arabia, this is a total solar eclipse. Totality lasts up to 6 minutes 23 seconds near Luxor, which makes it the longest total eclipse on land between 1991 and 2114. From the UK it is partial. In London it starts at about 09:03 BST, peaks at about 10:00 BST with roughly 42% of the Sun covered, and ends at about 10:59 BST. The further south you are, the more of the Sun is covered, so Scotland sees less.

Never look at the Sun directly, even during a partial eclipse. Use certified eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2) or project an image of the Sun through a pinhole. Our Sky Notes guide to the 2 August eclipse has full timings and safety advice.

The Perseids are the summer's best meteor shower. Under ideal skies they can reach around 100 meteors an hour, though you'll usually count fewer. The best night is 12–13 August. The Moon is a bright waxing gibbous, but in southern England it sets at about 1 am. That leaves the hours before dawn darker, and those are also the hours when the radiant in Perseus is highest. August also has two new Moons, on the 2nd and the 31st.

September: the Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the full Moon closest to the autumn equinox. It rises in the east around sunset on 15 September and is exactly full just after midnight, at 00:03 BST on the 16th. The September equinox follows at 07:02 BST on 23 September. Neptune reaches opposition on 28 September, but you'll need a telescope and a finder chart to spot it.

October: Saturn's rings

Saturn reaches opposition on 18 October in Pisces. Around midnight it's well up in the south, and even a small telescope will show its rings. The Hunter's Moon is full on 15 October. The Orionids, debris from Halley's Comet, peak around 22 October. A gibbous Moon rises at about 10 pm and brightens the sky during the best hours after midnight. Clocks go back on 31 October.

November: Venus and Mars, cheek to cheek

On 4 November, early risers can catch Mercury low in the east-south-east before sunrise. The month's highlight comes on the evenings of 24 and 25 November, when Venus and Mars appear less than half a degree apart. That's less than the width of the full Moon. They're closest, about 0.3°, just after midnight between those two evenings, so the 24th gives UK viewers the tighter pairing. From the UK the pair is very low in the south-west after sunset, and Mars is much fainter than Venus. You'll need a clear, flat horizon and ideally binoculars, which are safe to use only once the Sun has set. Uranus reaches opposition on 30 November in Taurus. It's just about visible to the naked eye from a really dark site, and easy in binoculars if you know where to look.

December: a moonlit Geminids

The Geminids are usually the richest shower of the year, with ideal rates well over 100 an hour. In 2027, though, they peak on 14 December, just after the full Moon of the 13th. Moonlight will drown out all but the brightest meteors. The December solstice, the shortest day, is at 02:42 GMT on 22 December. The smaller Ursid shower peaks the next night.

Notes for North America

  • The 2 August eclipse is not visible from most of North America. Only the far north-east, such as Newfoundland, gets a small partial eclipse, low at sunrise. Everyone else will need a livestream.
  • The Quadrantids' predicted peak falls late on the evening of 3 January in Eastern Time. Some forecasts say the timing favours North America this year.
  • The 20 February penumbral eclipse is already under way as the Moon rises in the eastern US and Canada.
  • On 17 August there's a second penumbral lunar eclipse, visible from the Americas before dawn. It's very subtle.
  • Venus and Mars are closest on the evening of 24 November local time. They sit a little higher after sunset than they do from the UK.

Keep the year on your wall

If you'd like every one of these dates in one place, The Wizard's Sky Calendar 2027 has each night's Moon phase and the year's eclipses, meteor showers and planet highlights. It comes in a UK edition (UK time) and a US edition (Eastern Time). Clear skies!

Sources

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