Diagram created with LunarPhase Pro. All times in UTC.

On March 2nd/3rd, 2026, there’s going to be a full Moon. This Full Moon is known as the Worm Moon.

This is the only Total Lunar Eclipse of 2026 and is visible from Asia, Australia, and North America.

The eclipse will take place in the early hours of March 3 for skywatchers in the U.S., so make sure you set your alarm!

Lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye; no filters or special glasses are needed (unlike solar eclipses).

All you need to do is make sure you find the moon at the right time, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

This is the last total lunar eclipse until the December 31, 2028 – January 1, 2029 New Year’s Blood Moon Eclipse.

NASA What’s Up In April, 2026

HubbleSite – Tonight’s Sky For April, 2026

BBC Sky At Night: What To See In The Night Sky For April, 2026

What’s In The Night Sky April, 2026?

High Point Scientific | What’s in the sky April, 2026?

April, 2026 Podcasts:

What Messier Objects Are Visible Tonight (April, 2026):

A list of messier objects visible this month. All are possible with binoculars, most are easy even with small binoculars.

Twelve Month Tour of the Messier Catalog April Messier Objects

There are several things to keep in mind to be successful at hunting distant galaxies. The darker the sky the better. Search out dark sky sites, or wait until the desired target is at maximum altitude or passes through relatively darker portions of moderately light polluted skies. Search with low power, once a possible fuzzy is found switch to higher powers for confirmation and to look for more detail.

Nearly all of the objects this month are possible in binoculars, though most need dark skies, averted vision, and a trained eye to see. We will be hunting eight galaxies and two objects from our galaxy, a double star and a planetary nebula.

M40

This is a pair of faint stars located in Ursa Major. They are a tough find in binoculars, and you will be challenged to split them with binoculars. In telescopes, they appear to be an identical pair of stars and easy to split even at low power.

M108

This galaxy will appear as a thin streak of light in telescopes, there is a definate brightening towards the middle. M108 is a very tough object for the largest binoculars.

M97

This planetary nebula in Ursa Major, also called the Owl nebula, appears as a fairly large, round, hazy patch of light in a telescope. It is in the same field of view as M108 at low to medium powers. Use averted vision to see the faint glow of the Owl nebula through binoculars.

M109

This spiral galaxy in Ursa major appears as a small, oval patch of light. It can be found in the same field of view as Gamma UMa at low to medium power in a telescope. Use large binoculars under good conditions for a chance of seeing this one.

M106

This galaxy in Canes Venatici appears as an oval patch of light, larger than M109, with a fairly bright core. A tough, but possible binocular target.

M95

This galaxy in Leo appears as a faint round patch of light with a bright nucleus. Large binoculars and good conditions a must.

M96

Look for M96 in the same low power telescope field as M95. Another round patch of light, slightly larger and brighter than M95, it too has a stellar core. Binocular advice for M96 is the same as M95.

M105

This is a small elliptical galaxy in Leo, and can be found in the same low power field as M96. It look like a small fuzzy star. M105 has a close companion galaxy, NGC 3384, which is only slightly smaller and fainter than M105. To prevent consion, M105 is the closer of the pair to M96. Not possible in binoculars, except maybe with averted "imagination".

M65

A small, but relatively bright galaxy in Leo. It is an elongated oval patch of light with a bright stellar core. A tough, but possible binocular target.

M66

A close companion galaxy to M65, it can be seen in the same low to medium power field as M65. M66 is another oval patch of light, brighter and slightly wider than M65. Another possible binocular target. While you are here be sure to look for the a thin streak of light which is the galaxy NGC 3628. It can be found north of M66 in the same low power telescope field as both M65 and M66.

Other Events To Watch Out For This Month

Galaxies Don’t Die All at Once

State-of-the-art simulations shed light on how galaxies die — and how we can determine the cause of death.

The post Galaxies Don’t Die All at Once appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

What Were the Flashes That Artemis 2 Astronauts Saw?

The crew of Artemis 2 reported six flashes of light while passing behind the Moon. We've seen those kinds of flashes before.

The post What Were the Flashes That Artemis 2 Astronauts Saw? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Planets Collide Around Young, Sun-like Star

Astronomers have uncovered evidence that two planets collided around a young star, revealing how giant impacts sculpt baby solar systems.

The post Planets Collide Around Young, Sun-like Star appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Do Look Up: Asteroid Apophis Will Fly By Earth in Three Years

The close pass of Apophis is nothing to fear. Will you be watching on Friday, April 13, 2029, when this asteroid glides across the sky?

The post Do Look Up: Asteroid Apophis Will Fly By Earth in Three Years appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Sky & Telescope Reports: New Telescopes and More at NEAF

Sky & Telescope editors made their annual pilgrimage to the Northeast Astronomy Forum to check out new astro-gear and meet up with contributors and readers alike.

The post Sky & Telescope Reports: New Telescopes and More at NEAF appeared first on Sky & Telescope.