Night Sky Events in India 2026–2035: Eclipses & Meteor Showers (IST)
Eclipses and meteor showers you can see from India, with times in Indian Standard Time for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. All times are calculated with the PyEphem astronomy library for each city.
Highlights for India
- Geminids, December 13–15, 2026 — the year's best meteor shower; the radiant rises in the evening and the crescent Moon sets by about 10 p.m.
- Total lunar eclipse, December 31, 2028 — on New Year's Eve the whole eclipse is visible across India, high in the sky (maximum at 10:22 p.m. IST).
- Annular solar eclipse, May 21, 2031 — a "ring of fire" is visible along a path across Kerala and Tamil Nadu (for example Kochi and Madurai) around 1 p.m. IST; the rest of India sees a deep partial eclipse.
- Total solar eclipse, March 20, 2034 — the path of totality reaches Kashmir and Ladakh (for example Srinagar and Leh) in the late afternoon, with the Sun low in the west; most of India sees a partial eclipse.
See tonight's sky over your city in 3D — free, in your browser.
Open the sky over Delhi →Lunar eclipses visible from India
A lunar eclipse can be seen from everywhere on Earth where the Moon is above the horizon, so the whole of India sees the same eclipse at the same moment. The table lists the eclipses in which the Moon enters Earth's dark shadow (the umbra) while it is up in India. Faint penumbral eclipses, which are hard to notice, are left out.
| Date | Type | Partial phase (IST) | Totality (IST) | Maximum (IST) | Height of the Moon at maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2028 | Partial | 10:38 PM – 1:01 AM | — | 11:50 PM | Delhi 37°, Mumbai 45°, Kolkata 43°, Chennai 53°, Bengaluru 52°, Hyderabad 48° |
| Dec 31, 2028 | Total | 8:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 9:45 PM – 10:57 PM | 10:22 PM | Delhi 62°, Mumbai 57°, Kolkata 72°, Chennai 62°, Bengaluru 59°, Hyderabad 61° |
| Dec 21, 2029 | Total | 2:24 AM – 5:58 AM | 3:43 AM – 4:39 AM | 4:12 AM | Delhi 37°, Mumbai 39°, Kolkata 26°, Chennai 30°, Bengaluru 33°, Hyderabad 33° |
| Jun 16, 2030 | Partial | 10:50 PM – 1:16 AM | — | 12:03 AM | Delhi 38°, Mumbai 47°, Kolkata 44°, Chennai 54°, Bengaluru 54°, Hyderabad 49° |
| Apr 25, 2032 | Total | 6:57 PM – 10:30 PM | 8:10 PM – 9:17 PM | 8:44 PM | Delhi 22°, Mumbai 23°, Kolkata 34°, Chennai 32°, Bengaluru 30°, Hyderabad 29° |
| Oct 19, 2032 | Total | 10:53 PM – 2:10 AM | 12:07 AM – 12:56 AM | 12:32 AM | Delhi 70°, Mumbai 81°, Kolkata 69°, Chennai 80°, Bengaluru 83°, Hyderabad 79° |
Lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye. Binoculars show the coppery colour of the Moon during totality beautifully.
Solar eclipses visible from India
A solar eclipse is seen only where the Moon's shadow falls, so how much of the Sun is covered depends on your city. Each cell shows the fraction of the Sun's diameter covered at maximum and the time of maximum (IST). "—" means the eclipse is not visible from that city (or the Sun is below the horizon).
| Date | Delhi | Mumbai | Kolkata | Chennai | Bengaluru | Hyderabad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027-08-02 | 17% · 4:29 PM | 43% · 4:41 PM | 14% · 4:43 PM | 45% · 4:55 PM | 49% · 4:53 PM | 38% · 4:47 PM |
| 2028-07-22 | — | — | — | 13% · 6:52 AM | 10% · 6:50 AM | — |
| 2030-06-01 | 21% · 11:33 AM | — | 1% · 12:23 PM | — | — | — |
| 2031-05-21 | 41% · 1:11 PM | 68% · 12:55 PM | 58% · 1:41 PM | 88% · 1:19 PM | 88% · 1:09 PM | 75% · 1:13 PM |
| 2032-11-03 | 8% · 10:13 AM | — | 8% · 10:43 AM | — | — | — |
| 2034-03-20 | 84% · 5:26 PM | 54% · 5:24 PM | 62% · 5:30 PM | 33% · 5:28 PM | 33% · 5:26 PM | 47% · 5:28 PM |
| 2035-09-02 | — | — | 50% · 5:37 AM | — | — | — |
Safety: never look at the Sun directly, even when it is mostly covered — and never through binoculars, a telescope or a camera without a proper solar filter. Use certified eclipse glasses or project the Sun's image through a pinhole onto paper.
You can preview the 2030 and 2035 eclipses over Japan in our 3D eclipse simulator.
Meteor showers from India (2026–2027)
"Rate" is the number of meteors per hour under an ideal dark sky with the radiant overhead (ZHR); from a town you will see far fewer. Best times are for Delhi (north) and Bengaluru (south).
| Shower | Peak nights | Rate | Best time (Delhi) | Best time (Bengaluru) | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leonids | Nov 17–18, 2026 | 15 | 1:30 a.m. – dawn | 1:50 a.m. – dawn | Half Moon sets around midnight — good |
| Geminids | Dec 13–14 and 14–15, 2026 | 150 | 9 p.m. – dawn | 9:30 p.m. – dawn | Thin crescent sets around 10 p.m. — excellent |
| Quadrantids | Jan 3–4, 2027 | 110 | 3 a.m. – dawn | 4 a.m. – dawn (radiant stays low) | Thin crescent rises before dawn — good |
| Lyrids | Apr 21–22, 2027 | 18 | 11 p.m. – dawn | 11:30 p.m. – dawn | Nearly full Moon — poor |
| Eta Aquariids | May 5–6, 2027 | 50 | 3:30 a.m. – dawn | 3:30 a.m. – dawn | New Moon — excellent; better from south India |
| Southern Delta Aquariids | Jul 29–30, 2027 | 25 | 11 p.m. – dawn | 10:30 p.m. – dawn | Thin crescent; monsoon clouds are the main problem |
| Perseids | Aug 12–13, 2027 | 100 | 2 a.m. – dawn (after moonset) | 2:30 a.m. – dawn (radiant low) | Bright Moon sets around 2 a.m. |
| Orionids | Oct 21–22, 2027 | 20 | midnight – dawn | midnight – dawn | Moon rises around 11 p.m. |
The radiant of the Quadrantids and the Perseids lies far to the north, so they are better from north India; the Eta Aquariids come from a southern radiant and are better from south India. More about each shower is in our meteor shower calendar.
Indian names for stars you can find tonight
Many bright stars and star groups along the Moon's path are known in India as nakshatras (lunar mansions). These are some that are easy to find; they are traditional names, used here only to help you find the stars.
| Name | What to look for | Evening sky |
|---|---|---|
| Krittika | the Pleiades (Taurus) | Nov–Feb |
| Rohini | Aldebaran (Taurus) | Dec–Feb |
| Mrigashira | the head of Orion | Dec–Mar |
| Ardra | Betelgeuse (Orion) | Dec–Mar |
| Punarvasu | Castor and Pollux (Gemini) | Jan–Apr |
| Magha | Regulus (Leo) | Feb–May |
| Chitra | Spica (Virgo) | Apr–Jul |
| Swati | Arcturus (Boötes) | Apr–Aug |
| Jyeshtha | Antares (Scorpius) | May–Aug |
| Shravana | Altair (Aquila) | Jul–Oct |
The Saptarishi (the seven sages) is the Big Dipper in Ursa Major, and Dhruva tara is the Pole Star (Polaris). In north India the Saptarishi stands high in the northern sky on spring evenings; in the far south it stays low.
When and where to stargaze in India
- Best season: October to March, when the air is dry and clear. During the monsoon (roughly June to September) clouds hide the sky in most of the country.
- Dark skies: the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in Ladakh, India's first dark sky reserve (2022), is one of the darkest places in the country. High-altitude deserts such as Spiti and Ladakh, and the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, are also known for their skies.
- In the city: the Moon, planets, bright stars and lunar eclipses are easy to see even from a city. For meteor showers and the Milky Way, go at least 50 km from the city lights and pick a night without a bright Moon.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next total lunar eclipse in India?
On December 31, 2028 (New Year's Eve). The whole eclipse is visible across India, with totality from about 9:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. IST.
When is the next solar eclipse in India?
On August 2, 2027 a partial solar eclipse is visible in the late afternoon across most of India — about half of the Sun's diameter is covered in Bengaluru and Chennai, and less in the north. The next central eclipse in India is the annular eclipse of May 21, 2031 in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Does Hoshizora Dome work for Indian cities?
Yes. The planetarium calculates the sky for any latitude and longitude. Open it with one of the city links above, or allow location access to see the sky from exactly where you are.