Four Eclipses to Occur in 2026, Only One Seen from Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A total of four solar and lunar eclipses will occur during 2026, but not all of these eclipses will cross Indonesia. "Only one event can be observed, which is a lunar eclipse," said Avivah Yamani, a member of the Southern Sky astronomy community in Bandung, Indonesia, on Tuesday, January 6, 2025.

The first eclipse will be a solar eclipse on February 17th, coinciding with the celebration of Chinese New Year. Then a total lunar eclipse on March 3rd, which can be observed in Indonesia after sunset. Next is the total solar eclipse on August 12 to 13, followed by a partial lunar eclipse on August 28th.

According to the Langit Selatan (Southern Sky) website, the annular solar eclipse on February 17th can only be observed in Antarctica, reaching its climax for 2 minutes and 5 seconds, while those in the partial solar eclipse path include the southern regions of Argentina, Chile, and Africa.

Meanwhile, the total lunar eclipse on March 3rd, which can be observed in Indonesia, will also pass through the eastern regions of Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and parts of the United States. In Indonesia, the total lunar eclipse will begin in the late afternoon. The first contact or penumbral eclipse can be observed in the eastern regions starting at 17:44 local time.

Subsequently, during the second contact phase or when the partial eclipse can be observed, residents in the central parts of Indonesia can start observing it from 17:50 local time. Until the start of the total lunar eclipse phase at 18:04 WIB (Western Indonesian Time), the phenomenon can be seen by the western part of Indonesia's population. The total lunar eclipse will last for 58 minutes and 19 seconds and end at 19:02 WIB.

The partial eclipse continues as the Moon leaves the umbra or the Earth's core shadow. The partial eclipse ends at 20:17 WIB when the Moon enters the hazy shadow or penumbra. The entire eclipse process ends at 21:22 WIB as the Moon leaves the Earth's penumbra.

Meanwhile, the total solar eclipse on August 12 to 13 will only pass through the northern regions of the United States, western Africa, and Europe. While the path of the total eclipse phase can be observed in the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Russia, lasting for 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Finally, the partial lunar eclipse on August 28th can only be observed by observers in the eastern Pacific, America, Europe, and Africa, for 3 hours and 18 minutes out of a total duration of 5 hours and 37 minutes.

Read: The Longest Solar Eclipse in 100 Years: When and Where to See It

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