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Planets in 2026 and 2027

The dates that matter for planet watching, computed from the planets' positions.

See the planets in your sky

Planet events, 2026 and 2027. Dates in UTC.
DateEventWhat it means
2026Jupiter at oppositionJupiter is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude -2.7, 4.23 AU away.
2026Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 18° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2026Venus and Saturn close togetherVenus and Saturn are 0.9° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 15° and 15° from the Sun, in the evening sky.
2026Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 28° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2026Mars and Saturn close togetherMars and Saturn are 1° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 22° and 22° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2026Mercury and Saturn close togetherMercury and Saturn are 0.5° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 23° and 23° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2026Mercury and Mars close togetherMercury and Mars are 2° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 22° and 22° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2026Venus and Jupiter close togetherVenus and Jupiter are 2° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 37° and 37° from the Sun, in the evening sky.
2026Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 25° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2026Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 19° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2026Venus at greatest eastern elongationVenus is 46° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2026Mercury and Jupiter close togetherMercury and Jupiter are 0.6° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 13° and 13° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2026Neptune at oppositionNeptune is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude 7.8, 28.88 AU away. It still needs binoculars or a telescope.
2026Saturn at oppositionSaturn is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude 0.2, 8.43 AU away.
2026Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 25° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2026Mars and Jupiter close togetherMars and Jupiter are 1° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 88° and 88° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2026Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 20° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2026Uranus at oppositionUranus is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude 5.6, 18.44 AU away. It still needs binoculars or a telescope.
2027Venus at greatest western elongationVenus is 47° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2027Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 18° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2027Jupiter at oppositionJupiter is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude -2.6, 4.36 AU away.
2027Mars at oppositionMars is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude -1.2, 0.68 AU away.
2027Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 28° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2027Venus and Saturn close togetherVenus and Saturn are 0.6° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 26° and 26° from the Sun, in the morning sky.
2027Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 23° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2027Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 21° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2027Mercury at greatest eastern elongationMercury is 26° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the evening sky after sunset.
2027Neptune at oppositionNeptune is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude 7.8, 28.87 AU away. It still needs binoculars or a telescope.
2027Saturn at oppositionSaturn is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude -0.1, 8.33 AU away.
2027Mercury at greatest western elongationMercury is 19° from the Sun, as far as it gets this time, and best seen in the morning sky before sunrise.
2027Venus and Mars close togetherVenus and Mars are 0.3° apart, a fine sight in binoculars. They are 27° and 27° from the Sun, in the evening sky.
2027Uranus at oppositionUranus is opposite the Sun, so it is up all night and as bright and close as it gets this year: magnitude 5.6, 18.38 AU away. It still needs binoculars or a telescope.

The terms

Opposition is when a planet outside Earth's orbit is on the opposite side of the sky from the Sun. It rises at sunset and is up all night, and it is as close and bright as it gets that year. Greatest elongation is when Mercury or Venus appears furthest from the Sun in the sky, which is the best time to see them. A conjunction is when two bodies pass close together in the sky; the separation listed is as seen from Earth, and they are not close in space.

How these were worked out

The dates come from the astronomy-engine library's planetary positions. We have not compared this particular list with a second published table, so treat the dates as accurate to the day and check an almanac before planning an expedition around one.

Sources