Celestial Events To Ring In 2026: Asteroid Opposition, Supermoon

The stargazing calendar for 2026 begins with a contradictory blend of celestial events. January’s opposition theme sets the tone, with a configuration where a celestial object is directly opposite the sun in the sky, providing optimal viewing opportunities. On the evening of January 2, asteroid 40 Harmonia, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, reaches full opposition to the sun.

This space rock, measuring just under 70 miles in diameter, ranks in the top 1 percent of the largest asteroids ever observed. A decent telescope is required to glimpse Harmonia at its peak elevation above the southern horizon, just before midnight. The first full moon of 2026, dubbed the Wolf Moon, is a supermoon – the fourth consecutive one.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it reaches full illumination at 5:03 a. m. EST on January 3. This lunar event coincides with the opposition theme, as the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. The moon’s tidally locked hemisphere faces towards us, allowing sunlight to illuminate it, making it visible from our planet.

However, this supermoon may obstruct the Quadrantids meteor shower, which peaks on the night of January 3 and early hours of January 4.