Are you ready for a year of stargazing? Skywatchers have a plethora of fascinating sights in late-2025 and throughout 2026, chief among them a couple of eclipses — a ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse on March 3, 2026, followed by a total solar eclipse on August 12. For planet-hunters, the year starts well with Jupiter’s opposition on January 10, with the giant planet also involved in some close conjunctions with Venus (June 9) and Mars (November 16). Meanwhile, Saturn comes to opposition on October 4. Add a couple of major meteor showers peaking in dark skies — the Perseids and Geminids — and a supermoon on December 24 and it looks like a year worth preparing for.
From a refractor and smart scope for planets and the deep-sky to the best binoculars for clusters and eclipses — and even a recliner built for meteor showers — these 10 picks will kit you out for a year of skywatching.
Once you’ve got all the gear and an idea of what you want to see in the night sky, think about the sky, which needs to be dark and clear. Choose moonless nights between the last quarter moon and a few days after the new moon for the darkest skies, preferably using a light pollution map to improve the view — and don’t forget the weather forecast.
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