All of the Planetary Conjunctions for 2024The brightest planets line up in the sky and you can spot planetary conjunctions with just your eyes. Wrap up warm, head outside and look!
What is a Planetary Conjunction?
When two or more planets appear to be close in the sky, as seen from Earth, it is called a conjunction. They are not actually close, just as the stars in the sky are not close, but our vantage point on Earth makes them appear to be in the same area.
The other types of conjunctions occur between Earth and either Mercury or Venus, which are the two planets closer to the Sun than we are. Either of those two planets is said to be in superior conjunction when they are on the same side of the Sun as Earth and are on a line drawn from Earth to the Sun. They are said to be at inferior conjunction when they are on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and are on a line drawn from Earth through the Sun.
Planetary conjunctions are always fun to see and can be a very useful means of reaching the general public with astronomy news. Almost every year has a few interesting conjunctions
If you have a pair of binoculars, then it's worth taking a look, especially when Jupiter and Saturn are close together. You should be able to see four of Jupiter's moons (Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa) and possibly the ring of Saturn.
Don't miss these opportunities for some great views of beautiful conjunctions!
Conjunctions of Planets in 2024
The list below presents instances when two planets reach the same right ascension during 2024. All times are in UTC.
January
Mercury at greatest western elongation on January 12th and will be 23.5 degrees from the Sun. Mercury will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, making this the best time to observe it. Just before sunrise, look for the planet low in the eastern sky.
The planetary conjunction with the narrowest visible distance will take place on January 27 at 15:48 GMT. Mercury will come within 0°12' of Mars. During this occurrence, the planets will be nearly as close as Jupiter and Saturn were during the Great Conjunction of 2020. Both planets will be viewable with the naked eye in the morning, shortly before sunrise. Mars and Mercury will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere, low above the south-eastern horizon in the constellation Sagittarius. From the Southern Hemisphere, the planets will appear slightly higher.
February
On February 22 at 09:01 GMT Venus-Mars will pass very close to each other, separated by less than one degree - 0°36'. Viewing isn't ideal for northern observers. Mars and Venus will be visible early in the morning, before the Sun rises. The planets will be near the south-eastern horizon, and sunlight may outshine Mars.
March
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation on March 24th and will be 18.7 degrees from the sun. Mercury will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, making this the best time to observe it. Just before sunrise, look for the planet low in the eastern sky.
On March 21, at 22:06 GMT Venus will pass near Saturn in the constellation Aquarius. This will be a relatively close conjunction: the planets will be only 0°18' apart, while other conjunctions typically occur at a separation of 30 to 78 arcminutes.
April
On April 3 at 10:53 GMT, Venus will pass 0°17' of Neptune in Pisces. Venus is visible to the naked eye, whereas Neptune needs a telescope or binoculars with a high magnification.
On April 10, at 18:46 GMT, Mars will pass 0°24' from Saturn in the constellation Aquarius. The two planets will be observable with the naked eye. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere will observe the planets over the eastern horizon in the morning. The view from the Northern Hemisphere will be poorer since the planets will be lower towards the eastern horizon, rising shortly before sunrise.
Jupiter and Uranus will come together in Aries on April 20. The planets will be separated by only 0°31'. View the planets in the evening, just after sunset, low above the western horizon.
Mars is going to get extraordinarily close to Neptune on April 29. The apparent distance between the planets will be 2'14"; the distance between Jupiter and Saturn during the Great Conjunction in 2020 was 6.1 arcminutes. The conjunction of Mars and Neptune, however, will be far less remarkable because Neptune appears too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Look for the pair in the east in the morning with binoculars or a telescope.
May
Mercury achieves its greatest western elongation of 26.4 degrees from the Sun on May 9th. Mercury will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, making this the best time to observe it. Just before sunrise, look for the planet low in the eastern sky.
Mercury is going to pass 1°21' from Uranus in the constellation Taurus on May 31. In the morning, the planets will be visible above the eastern horizon. Because the planets will be concealed by sunlight, this conjunction will be difficult to see from either hemisphere.
June
Jupiter will pass 7'04" past Mercury on June 4. Unfortunately, due to the planets' proximity to the Sun, the conjunction will be impossible to see from most locations.
July
Mercury will be at its greatest eastern elongation on July 22nd. Mercury has a maximum eastern elongation of 26.9 degrees from the Sun. Mercury will be at the highest point above the horizon in the evening sky, making it the optimum time to observe it. Just after sunset, look for the planet low in the western sky.
Mars is going to get fairly close to Uranus (0°33') in Taurus on July 15. The planets will be visible high above the eastern horizon in the morning, roughly an hour before sunrise, from the Northern Hemisphere.
August
Mercury will pass 5°42' from Venus on August 7. Venus will be in the constellation Leo, and Mercury will be on the border between Leo and the minor constellation Sextans. The planets will be difficult to observe since they will be so near to the Sun.
Mars will pass just 0°18' from Jupiter on August 14. This magnificent couple can be seen with the naked eye in the constellation Taurus. This conjunction is the best of the year based on the brightness of both planets, the separation between them, and their position. Mars and Jupiter will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere from approximately midnight to morning, rising high above the eastern horizon. The planets will rise in the morning in the Southern Hemisphere, a few hours before sunrise.
September
Mercury is at greatest western elongation on September 5th. Mercury will be at the highest elevation above the horizon in the morning sky, making this the best time to observe it. Just before sunrise, look for the planet low in the eastern sky.
Saturn is at opposition on September 8th and will be at its closest approach to Earth. Looking east-southeast after sunset should allow stargazers to see Saturn more clearly, even with unaided eyes. It will be seen in the sky as a bright yellowish star.
November
On November 16th, Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation of 22.5 degrees from the Sun. Mercury will be at the highest point above the horizon in the evening sky, making it an ideal time to observe. Just after sunset, look for the planet low in the western sky.
December
Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth on December 7th. The Sun will completely illuminate its face making it brighter than at any other time of year and visible all night. This is an excellent opportunity to observe and photograph Jupiter and its moons. Some of the features of Jupiter's cloud bands should be visible with a medium-sized telescope. Jupiter's four largest moons, which appear as bright spots on either side of the planet, should be visible with a good pair of binoculars.
On December 25th, Mercury will be at its greatest western elongation. Mercury has a maximum western elongation of 22 degrees from the Sun. Mercury will be at the highest point above the horizon in the morning sky, making this the best time to observe it. Just before sunrise, look for the planet low in the eastern sky.
Data from NASA's DE430 planetary ephemeris and calculated using ephemerisCompute
