The innermost solar system planet MERCURY starts off 2026 close to the Sun, moving toward superior conjunction on January 21, located in Sagittarius. Mercury will reach Greatest Elongation East (GEE) on February 18. Because Mercury's orbital period is 87.96 days, each year this swiftly moving planet will generally cross between the Earth and Sun three times. On February 27, Mercury again joins up with Venus. At this time, Mercury will be at 1.6 mag. while Venus shines at -3.9. On March 7, Mercury reaches inferior conjunction for the first time in 2026. Mercury will not be visible in the northern hemisphere as it emerges into the morning sky. It dances with the planet Mars (1.2 mag) around the ides of March. On April 3, Mercury reaches Greatest Elongation West (GEW), 27.8 deg. west of the Sun. On April 17, Mercury meets up with Neptune, passing 1.3 deg. apart. The dance of the planets is on as Mercury catches up to Mars (1.2 mag) and Saturn (0.9 mag). The four planets can be crowded into a 5-deg field, if you are a southern based observer. On May 14, Mercury will reach superior conjunction again. The swift-footed planet returns to the evening sky reaching GEE (24.5 deg.) away from the Sun on June 15, in Gemini. It will be easier to see at this time for northern observers. On August 2, Mercury reaches GEW and will be 19.5 deg. away from the Sun. On July 12, Mercury reaches inferior conjunction. On August 2, Mercury reaches Greatest Elongation West (GEW), 27.8 deg. west of the Sun. On August 15, Mercury (-1.2 mag.) has a conjunction with Jupiter (-1.8 mag), when they are a mere 33' apart. They will be close to the horizon at sunrise. Mercury reaches superior conjunction again on August 27. It will favor the southern hemisphere when it reemerges in the evening sky. Mercury reaches GEE (25.2 deg.) away from the Sun on October 12. The planet then reaches inferior conjunction on November 4. After emerging in the morning sky, Mercury will be well seen from the northern hemisphere. On November 20, Mercury reaches GEW, 19.6 deg. away from the Sun.

Afterward, Mercury will begin its dive toward the Sun, meeting up early in 2027 for superior conjunction.

Earth's "sister" planet, VENUS opens the year in in the constellation of Sagittarius, diving for the Sun toward superior conjunction on January 6. Venus will join up with Saturn for a conjunction on March 8, when the two planets are 1.1 deg. apart. Venus will be bright, shining at -3.9 while Saturn will be a mere 1.5 magnitude. Next, Venus catches up with Uranus on April 24, requiring a telescope to observe. On June 9, Venus will catch up with Jupiter in the evening twilight sky, passing 1.6 deg. N of the gas giant, in the constellation of Gemini. Venus will be -4.0 magnitude while Jupiter shines at -1.9 magnitude. Take care whenever observing near the Sun. On June 17, Venus and the Moon treat observers in Northern America to an occultation when a thin crescent Moon meets up with our sister planet during daylight hours. This is a challenge that many observers will want to take up. Venus reaches Greatest Elongation East (GEE) on August 15, when it is 45.9 degrees away from the Sun, shining at -4.5 mag. On September 14, another daytime Venus occultation by a waxing crescent Moon can be observed from Europe and northern Africa. Venus will reach Greatest Illuminated Extent (GIE) on November 29, shining at -4.8 magnitude. Venus will be brilliant, heading back toward the Sun in the morning sky, ending the year in Libra.

MARS begins 2026 shining at 1.4 magnitude, in the constellation of Sagittarius. The red planet will not be seen as it approaches conjunction with the Sun on January 9, passing Venus 2 days earlier for an invisible conjunction. The 2024/2025 conjunction is officially over, and the 2027 conjunction doesn't really begin until October, when Mars is readily accessible for amateur observers. On March 26, Mars reaches perihelion when it begins to appear in the morning twilight. On July 4, Mars catches up with Uranus in the constellation of Taurus, for a close approach, visible in the early morning. They will be separated by a mere 6.3', with Mars shining at 1.3 mag and Uranus at 5.8 mag. This may be the planetary conjunction of the year, so grab a scope for early morning astronomy. On November 16, Mars (0.7 mag.) will pass 1.2 deg. above Jupiter (-2.1 mag) in the constellation Leo. By year's end, Mars will be -0.1 mag. and have a 10.3" disk. A new opposition is approaching.

The solar system's behemoth planet is the gas giant JUPITER. Jupiter may be the amateurs' favorite planet, as it is observable for 12 months every 13-month period. Its superfast rotation speed, that makes a revolution every 9h 51m, allows observers to study its many features: belts, festoons, giant storms and many other effects that one can't really predict. Jupiter's four largest moons, are called the "Galilean Moons" after their discoverer. In order of closeness to Jupiter, they are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. They transit the disk of Jupiter leaving super round black shadows that crawl across the disc. The planet is a favorite target for astrophotographers. As the year opens, Jupiter shines in the constellation Gemini, beaming at -2.7 magnitude. It reaches opposition on January 10, 2026. On March 11, Jupiter will appear stationary and resume prograde motion. Jupiter will return to conjunction with the Sun on July 29, afterward returning to the morning sky. A morning conjunction with Mercury (described above) will be a real treat for early morning observers on August 15. On November 16, Jupiter joins Mars as described above. On December 13, the giant planet will once again reach a stationary point and begin retrograde motion in the constellation of Leo. Jupiter will be rising in the late evening sky.

The last planet to be discussed is the ringed-wonder, gas giant SATURN. The rings are made of ice, dust, and rock orbiting the planet at various distances. This is somewhat like the ridges on a vinyl record album. There is one large gap near the center of them, dividing them into two pieces called, "The Cassini Division." This gap can be seen with small telescopes; there are other gaps that can be seen with larger amateur instruments on a clear night. Saturn opens 2026 in Aquarius, in the evening sky moving toward the Sun. The ringed wonder will meet up with Neptune on February 20th. At that time, Saturn will shine at 1.1 mag. while Neptune shines at 7.9 mag. and the two planets will appear 50" apart. A telescope will be needed to see the two in one eyepiece. Closest conjunction occurs at 4UT, and the two planets will be about .9 deg. apart from the eastern coast of North America. Saturn catches up with Venus in the evening sky on March 8, the conjunction is described above. On March 25, Saturn will be in conjunction with the Sun. Because of the long Summer twilight and ecliptic circumstance, Saturn will not be visible until Summer in the northern hemisphere. On April 8, Saturn will slip into the constellation of Cetus. On July 27, Saturn will begin retrograde motion. Opposition for Saturn comes on October 4, when the disk is 19.7" in diameter with the rings tipped at 7.43 deg. Saturn resumes prograde motion on December 11.

Eclipses for 2026

In 2026 there are two solar eclipses, one annular and one total, and two lunar eclipses, one total and one partial. This is the least number of eclipses that can occur in one year. The first eclipse of the year is an annular solar eclipse on February 17, 2026 visible from the South Indian Ocean and Antarctica. The next eclipse is a total lunar eclipse occurring on March 3, visible from the Pacific Ocean, western North America, Japan, New Zealand, and most of Australia. The greatest eclipse is over the Pacific Ocean with totality lasting 59 minutes. The third eclipse, on August 12, is a total solar eclipse, with greatest eclipse occurring at 17:45:56 UT, lasting for 2 minutes and 1 second. The eclipse begins in the Artic, moving into northern Greenland, where totality will pass over major fjords in the Scoresby Sound, crossing the Denmark Strait where it reaches greatest eclipse. The path skims the western coast of Iceland reaching the capital city of Reykjavic where totality lasts 59 seconds, it then reaches the northwestern Iberian Peninsula, crossing Spain and touching Portugal. Valencia is the largest Spanish city on the path, where totality lasts 1 minute. The path of totality continues into the Mediterranean, reaching the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, Mallorca, and Menorca, falling off into the Mediterranean Sea where it ends. The last eclipse for 2026 is a partial lunar eclipse. The Earth's shadow will cover 96% of the Sun's disk at greatest eclipse. This will be a deep partial eclipse, visible from North and South America, western Europe, and Africa. It will not be visible in Asia, Australia, or New Zealand. For more information on lunar and solar eclipses, check out Astra's Guide to Eclipses at: http://www.astras-stargate.com/eclipse-home.html

Remember more details on these and other celestial observations are available at What's Up in the Night Sky? every month at Astra's Stargate!

--See You Under the Stars!
Astra for Astra's Almanac