What planets can I see tonight?
A quick guide to finding planets in tonight's sky, plus a free tool that lists the planets up from your location with times and directions.
See tonight's planets for your location
Planets don't twinkle
A steady, bright point that does not twinkle like the stars around it is usually a planet. Venus is the brilliant 'evening star' or 'morning star' low in twilight; Jupiter is the next brightest and is often high in the night sky; Mars has a clear orange-red colour.
They follow the same path
All the planets move along the ecliptic, the same band of sky the sun and moon follow. If you know where the sun set, the planets of the evening sit along an arc rising from that point.
Mercury is the hardest
Mercury is never far from the sun, so it shows only low in bright twilight for a few weeks around its greatest elongation. Pick a clear, flat horizon and start looking about 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise.
Planet events to the end of 2027
The dates that decide when each planet is worth looking for. At opposition an outer planet is opposite the sun, rises at sunset, is up all night and is at its brightest of the year. At conjunction with the sun it is lost in the glare for some weeks. Mercury and Venus are best near greatest elongation, when they stand furthest from the sun in the morning or evening sky. Close pairings are measured from Earth's centre; the separation you see differs by a fraction of a degree.
| Date (UTC) | Event |
|---|---|
| 16 November 2026 | Mars and Jupiter 1.2° apart (close pairing) |
| 20 November 2026 | Mercury greatest morning elongation (20° from the sun) |
| 25 November 2026 | Uranus opposition — best of the year, up all night |
| 3 January 2027 | Venus greatest morning elongation (47° from the sun) |
| 3 February 2027 | Mercury greatest evening elongation (18° from the sun) |
| 11 February 2027 | Jupiter opposition — best of the year, up all night |
| 19 February 2027 | Mars opposition — best of the year, up all night |
| 17 March 2027 | Mercury greatest morning elongation (28° from the sun) |
| 24 March 2027 | Neptune conjunction with the sun — not visible |
| 7 April 2027 | Saturn conjunction with the sun — not visible |
| 7 May 2027 | Venus and Saturn 0.6° apart (close pairing) |
| 27 May 2027 | Uranus conjunction with the sun — not visible |
| 28 May 2027 | Mercury greatest evening elongation (23° from the sun) |
| 31 August 2027 | Jupiter conjunction with the sun — not visible |
| 28 September 2027 | Neptune opposition — best of the year, up all night |
| 18 October 2027 | Saturn opposition — best of the year, up all night |
| 25 November 2027 | Venus and Mars 0.3° apart (close pairing) |
Related
- Blue hour — the first planets appear as the evening blue hour fades.
- Full and new moon dates — the days around new moon give the darkest sky for faint planets.
- Sun position — Mercury and Venus are seen only near sunrise or sunset.
Positions are calculated with Astronomy Engine (MIT License) and checked against NASA JPL Horizons.