Cosmic Scale
When to see the planets in 2026 and 2027
The best nights to see each planet: when an outer planet is opposite the Sun and up all night, when Mercury and Venus stand farthest from the Sun, and when two planets meet in the sky.
Cosmic Scale works these out on your phone from real orbits, tells you whether you can see each eclipse from where you are, and can remind you the evening before.
Coming up
Mars and Jupiter close together
16 November 2026, peak 02:03 UTC · Magnitude −2.1
Mars and Jupiter pass only 1.2° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Mercury: best morning view
20 November 2026, peak 23:35 UTC · Magnitude −0.6
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 20° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Venus: best morning view
3 January 2027, peak 17:56 UTC · Magnitude −4.6
Venus is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 47° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Mercury: best evening view
3 February 2027, peak 06:20 UTC · Magnitude −0.6
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 18° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Jupiter at opposition
11 February 2027, peak 00:17 UTC · Magnitude −2.6
Jupiter is exactly opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and is near its closest to Earth, 652 million km away, so it is among its biggest and brightest of the year.
Mars at opposition
19 February 2027, peak 15:44 UTC · Magnitude −1.2
Mars is exactly opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and is near its closest to Earth, 101 million km away, so it is among its biggest and brightest of the year.
Mercury: best morning view
17 March 2027, peak 06:56 UTC · Magnitude 0.1
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 28° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Venus and Saturn close together
7 May 2027, peak 18:40 UTC · Magnitude −3.8
Venus and Saturn pass only 0.6° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Mercury: best evening view
28 May 2027, peak 10:01 UTC · Magnitude 0.4
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 23° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Mercury: best morning view
15 July 2027, peak 19:29 UTC · Magnitude 0.3
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 21° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Mercury: best evening view
24 September 2027, peak 22:05 UTC · Magnitude 0.0
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 26° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Saturn at opposition
18 October 2027, peak 00:18 UTC · Magnitude −0.1
Saturn is exactly opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and is near its closest to Earth, 1,246 million km away, so it is among its biggest and brightest of the year.
Mercury: best morning view
4 November 2027, peak 08:55 UTC · Magnitude −0.6
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 19° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Venus and Mars close together
25 November 2027, peak 00:39 UTC · Magnitude −3.9
Venus and Mars pass only 0.3° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Earlier
Jupiter at opposition
10 January 2026, peak 08:29 UTC · Magnitude −2.7
Jupiter is exactly opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and is near its closest to Earth, 633 million km away, so it is among its biggest and brightest of the year.
Mercury: best evening view
19 February 2026, peak 17:41 UTC · Magnitude −0.6
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 18° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Mercury: best morning view
3 April 2026, peak 22:34 UTC · Magnitude 0.2
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 28° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Mars and Saturn close together
19 April 2026, peak 22:10 UTC · Magnitude 0.8
Mars and Saturn pass only 1.2° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Mercury and Saturn close together
20 April 2026, peak 11:27 UTC · Magnitude −0.2
Mercury and Saturn pass only 0.5° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Mercury and Mars close together
20 April 2026, peak 22:51 UTC · Magnitude −0.2
Mercury and Mars pass only 1.7° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Venus and Jupiter close together
9 June 2026, peak 19:47 UTC · Magnitude −4.0
Venus and Jupiter pass only 1.6° apart in our sky. For scale, the Moon is half a degree wide. They are nowhere near each other in space: it is a line-up, seen from Earth.
Mercury: best evening view
15 June 2026, peak 20:02 UTC · Magnitude 0.4
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 25° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Mercury: best morning view
2 August 2026, peak 08:02 UTC · Magnitude 0.1
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 19° away, so this is its best morning view: look low in the east before sunrise.
Venus: best evening view
15 August 2026, peak 06:23 UTC · Magnitude −4.5
Venus is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 46° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.
Saturn at opposition
4 October 2026, peak 12:12 UTC · Magnitude 0.2
Saturn is exactly opposite the Sun in our sky: it rises as the Sun sets, stays up all night, and is near its closest to Earth, 1,262 million km away, so it is among its biggest and brightest of the year.
Mercury: best evening view
12 October 2026, peak 10:06 UTC · Magnitude −0.1
Mercury is as far from the Sun in our sky as it ever gets, 25° away, so this is its best evening view: look low in the west after sunset.