What will we see in the southern sky in 2026? A total eclipse of the Moon (at a convenient time), a blue Moon and a supermoon, the two brightest planets close together, and Jupiter disappearing behind the Moon in the daytime.

All except one of these events can be seen with the unaided eye, even in light-polluted cities.

In addition to these special events, we will see the annual procession of meteor showers and the nightly parade of constellations. Though best seen from a dark country location, the most interesting of these can still be seen from cities.

Here are some of the year’s highlights.

An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) will take place on the evening of Tuesday 3 March. During the eclipse, the full Moon moves into the shadow of Earth and is likely to turn a red or coppery colour.

This is because sunlight is bent or refracted by Earth’s atmosphere onto the Moon. The bent light is red – it is the glow of sunrises and sunsets from around the globe.

Lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the unaided eye and offer a good opportunity for nighttime photography. For successful images, the camera or phone needs to be able to take timed exposures and should be firmly supported on a tripod or similar.

Seen from Australia’s south-east, totality (when the Moon is completely obscured) will occur between 10:04pm and 11:03pm local time. From Brisbane the times are an hour earlier, while from Perth the times are three hours earlier. From Aotearoa........

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