2026 Night Sky Events

Full shadow eclipse visible from Iceland. The Moon passes completely through Earth's umbral shadow, turning a deep red or orange colour — sometimes called a "Blood Moon". Best viewing after midnight as the eclipse reaches totality.

One of the oldest known meteor showers, produced by debris from Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Up to 20 meteors per hour at peak. The radiant in the constellation Lyra rises after midnight, giving the best display in the pre-dawn hours.

The Moon reaches its closest point to Earth (perigee) while also being full, making it appear approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than a typical full moon. A spectacular sight that can also illuminate the night sky, slightly reducing the contrast for aurora.

Debris from the famous Halley's Comet burns up in Earth's atmosphere. Exceptional in the southern hemisphere with up to 50 meteors per hour; observers in Iceland can expect 10–30 per hour. Fast-moving meteors that often leave glowing trains.

The galactic core of the Milky Way becomes visible in Iceland's dark skies after midnight from spring through autumn. Iceland's low light pollution and clear northern skies make it one of Europe's best destinations for Milky Way photography and naked-eye viewing.

One of the best and most reliably active annual meteor showers. Up to 100 meteors per hour at peak, with many bright fireballs. Produced by debris from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. In Iceland, this coincides with twilight nights — best viewed well after midnight.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible from northern Europe including Iceland on the same day as the Perseid peak. The Moon covers a portion of the Sun's disk. Do NOT look directly at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses (ISO 12312-2) — permanent eye damage can result.

The strongest annual meteor shower, capable of producing up to 120 multicoloured meteors per hour at peak. Unusually for meteor showers, the Geminids originate from asteroid 3200 Phaethon rather than a comet. Iceland's long dark nights in December provide an ideal observing window throughout the night.