Sky calendar
The next 18 months of things that happen on a date, solved from the ephemeris rather than kept in a list. Almost every one is the same instant for everybody on Earth, so a date here needs no location to be true — what is visible tonight is the list that does depend on where you are standing.
Coming up
] SOONEST FIRST- FLYBYIN 2 DAYS11FRI
2026 OH3 passes at 12.3 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 142 m and 318 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 12.3 lunar distances out at 20.17 km/s.
- OPPOSITIONIN 17 DAYS26SAT
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
- OPPOSITIONIN 25 DAYS4SUN
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT THE EIGHT KINDS ARE
- Eclipses — solar and lunar, with where on Earth a solar one is greatest.
- Meteor showers — dated by where the Earth is in its orbit, not by a fixed calendar day.
- Moon phases — the four quarters, which set what else is worth chasing that fortnight.
- Close pairings — two bright things within a few degrees of each other.
- Oppositions — the night each outer planet is closest, biggest and up all night.
- Elongations — the mornings and evenings Mercury and Venus stand furthest from the Sun.
- Equinoxes and solstices — the four turning points of the year.
- Flybys — near-Earth asteroids passing inside twenty lunar distances.
Hiding what cannot be seen from SVALBARD at all. Each month says how many it dropped and why; anything merely low stays on the list, with its altitude.
September 2026
] 2 EVENTS+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-09-14The Moon 29′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2026-09-172026 NT2 passes at 16.1 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 11FRIFLYBY--:--
2026 OH3 passes at 12.3 lunar distances
2026 OH3, somewhere between 142 m and 318 m across depending on how dark its surface is, makes its closest approach to Earth at 12.3 lunar distances (4.7 million km), moving past at 20.17 km/s. At magnitude 22.0 it is far below anything an amateur telescope reaches — this one is a fact rather than a sight. A pass at this range is ordinary rather than alarming — it is the reason the object is tracked, not a reason to worry about it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 20.17 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 12.3 lunar distances — 4 731 183 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 22.0 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 142 m – 318 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
- 26SATOPPOSITION--:--
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 12° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
October 2026
] 4 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-10-12Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 4SUNOPPOSITION--:--
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 14° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 5MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Mars
The Moon passes 1.1° from Mars — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look before dawn; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 68° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the ESE horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 6TUECONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 10′ from Jupiter
The Moon passes 10′ from Jupiter — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look before dawn; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.2° — about half a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 53° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD the hours it is high enough and the hours it is dark do not overlap on this date — it is up in the daytime.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 31SATFLYBY--:--
2025 UK9 passes at 0.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 3 m and 6 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 0.8 lunar distances out at 7.83 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 7.83 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 0.8 lunar distances — 314 823 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 20.1 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 3 m – 6 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 16° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
November 2026
] 6 EVENTS+3 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2026-11-062001 KF54 passes at 18.8 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2026-11-07The Moon 57′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2026-11-20Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 58′ from Mars
58′ between the Moon and Mars — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.0° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 81° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the S horizon.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 2MONFLYBY--:--
524522 Zoozve (2002 VE68) passes at 15.7 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 207 m and 464 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 15.7 lunar distances out at 8.72 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 8.72 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 15.7 lunar distances — 6 018 535 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 15.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 207 m – 464 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 69° above the S horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
- 2MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 29′ from Jupiter
29′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.5° — about half a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 76° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 23° above the S horizon.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 16MONCONJUNCTION--:--
Mars and Jupiter 1.2° apart
Mars and Jupiter come within 1.2° of each other, close enough to take in with one glance and to frame together in binoculars. They are 88° from the Sun, so look east before sunrise.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.2° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 88° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 26° above the S horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 25WEDOPPOSITION--:--
Uranus at opposition
Uranus is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 33° above the S horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 30MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 102° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 24° above the S horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
December 2026
] 2 EVENTS- 8TUEFLYBY--:--
2016 NV passes at 14.3 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 284 m and 634 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 14.3 lunar distances out at 10.42 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 10.42 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 14.3 lunar distances — 5 478 070 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 15.0 — needs a telescope
- SIZE
- 284 m – 634 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 21° above the S horizon.
A telescope object, and a moving one: at this brightness a 20-centimetre instrument shows it as a faint star that drifts against the field over a few minutes, which is how to tell it from the stars around it. Its position changes by the hour, so take the path from an ephemeris for your own place and time rather than from the single point this page links.
- 27SUNCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 129° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 20° above the S horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
January 2027
] 1 EVENT+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-01-03Venus at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-01-282020 OP3 passes at 7.6 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 23SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.4° from Jupiter
1.4° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, before dawn.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.4° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 160° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 24° above the S horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
February 2027
] 5 EVENTS- 3WEDELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
Mercury stands 18° away from the Sun in our sky today, the widest that gap opens on this pass. Look west just after sunset: this is the easiest Mercury gets to find, and Mercury is hard to catch at any other time.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 18° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 1° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 8MONCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 19′ from Mercury
The Moon passes 19′ from Mercury — close enough that a thumb held at arm's length covers both at once, and a pair of binoculars holds them in one field. Look after sunset; the Moon moves its own width every hour, so the gap looks noticeably different either side of tonight.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.3° — about half a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 17° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than -1° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 11THUOPPOSITION--:--
Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 27° above the S horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 19FRIOPPOSITION--:--
Mars at opposition
Mars is directly opposite the Sun from here, so it rises as the Sun sets, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It is also about as close to Earth as it gets this time round, which makes this its brightest and biggest night of the year — the one to point a telescope at it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 27° above the S horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 20SATCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.1° from Jupiter
1.1° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.1° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 169° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 27° above the S horizon.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
March 2027
] 2 EVENTS+4 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-03-04474158 (1999 FA) passes at 16.5 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-03-04535844 (2015 BY310) passes at 9.2 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-03-06The Moon 1.1° from Mercury — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-03-17Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 18THUFLYBY--:--
506074 Svarog (2015 UM67) passes at 19.0 lunar distances
A body 665 m across, passing 19.0 lunar distances out at 22.41 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 22.41 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 19.0 lunar distances — 7 308 194 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 15.2 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 665 m — measured
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 76° above the ENE horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
- 19FRICONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 52′ from Jupiter
52′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 139° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 28° above the SSW horizon.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
April 2027
] 1 EVENT- 15THUCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 55′ from Jupiter
55′ between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.9° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 112° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
May 2027
] 3 EVENTS- 7FRICONJUNCTION--:--
Venus and Saturn 36′ apart
Venus and Saturn come within 36′ of each other, close enough to look like a double star to the unaided eye and to sit in one telescope field together. They are 26° from the Sun, so look east before sunrise.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 0.6° — about a finger-width at arm's length
- FROM THE SUN
- 26° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Close enough to fit in the same telescope field, which is a rarer sight than either object alone. Binoculars show it comfortably; the naked eye sees two things almost touching. Look on the evenings either side too — they will still be close, and one of the two nights is usually the clearer.
- 12WEDCONJUNCTION--:--
The Moon 1.2° from Jupiter
1.2° between the Moon and Jupiter — one binocular field, after sunset.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SEPARATION
- 1.2° — about a finger-width at arm's length, as seen from the centre of the Earth — the Moon is near enough that where you stand moves it by up to a degree, so from some places the gap is wider, and from some the Moon passes in front
- FROM THE SUN
- 86° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
A naked-eye sight rather than a telescope one: the two are far enough apart that magnifying them separates them. Binoculars frame the pair nicely. The nights either side are nearly as good, so cloud on the night itself is not the end of it.
- 28FRIELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky)
23° from the Sun, west after sunset — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 23° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
June 2027
] 2 EVENTS- 6SUNFLYBY--:--
4953 (1990 MU) passes at 12.0 lunar distances
4953 (1990 MU), somewhere between 2.8 km and 6.3 km across depending on how dark its surface is, makes its closest approach to Earth at 12.0 lunar distances (4.6 million km), moving past at 23.82 km/s. At magnitude 9.9 it is a binocular object, moving fast enough across the stars to watch it move. A pass at this range is ordinary rather than alarming — it is the reason the object is tracked, not a reason to worry about it.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 23.82 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 12.0 lunar distances — 4 612 019 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 9.9 — a binocular object
- SIZE
- 2.8 km – 6.3 km — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Bright enough to find, and fast enough that the finding is the sport: it moves against the stars while you watch, so what you are looking for is the one point that will not stay put. Have a chart of the field ready before it arrives.
- 28MONFLYBY--:--
456938 (2007 YV56) passes at 19.6 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 169 m and 379 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.6 lunar distances out at 17.79 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 17.79 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 19.6 lunar distances — 7 530 376 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 17.8 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 169 m – 379 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
July 2027
] 1 EVENT- 15THUELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
Mercury stands 21° away from the Sun in our sky today, the widest that gap opens on this pass. Look east shortly before sunrise: this is the easiest Mercury gets to find, and Mercury is hard to catch at any other time.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 21° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
August 2027
] 1 EVENT+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-08-192017 QW17 passes at 17.8 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-08-29826799 (2023 OE6) passes at 16.7 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 7SATFLYBY--:--
137108 (1999 AN10) passes at 1.0 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 653 m and 1.5 km across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 1.0 lunar distances out at 26.28 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 26.28 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 1.0 lunar distances — 389 781 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 7.8 — a binocular object
- SIZE
- 653 m – 1.5 km — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
The sky never gets properly dark at SVALBARD around this date — there is no night to put it in.
Bright enough to find, and fast enough that the finding is the sport: it moves against the stars while you watch, so what you are looking for is the one point that will not stay put. Have a chart of the field ready before it arrives.
September 2027
] 1 EVENT+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-09-24Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 28TUEOPPOSITION--:--
Neptune at opposition
Neptune is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 13° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
October 2027
] 3 EVENTS+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-10-27250680 (2005 QC5) passes at 18.9 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 16SATFLYBY--:--
2026 AT6 passes at 19.9 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 267 m and 597 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.9 lunar distances out at 10.56 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 10.56 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 19.9 lunar distances — 7 650 309 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 14.7 — needs a telescope
- SIZE
- 267 m – 597 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 22° above the S horizon.
A telescope object, and a moving one: at this brightness a 20-centimetre instrument shows it as a faint star that drifts against the field over a few minutes, which is how to tell it from the stars around it. Its position changes by the hour, so take the path from an ephemeris for your own place and time rather than from the single point this page links.
- 18MONOPPOSITION--:--
Saturn at opposition
Saturn is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 19° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
- 29FRIFLYBY--:--
453707 (2010 XY72) passes at 18.7 lunar distances
A body 495 m across, passing 18.7 lunar distances out at 18.03 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 18.03 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 18.7 lunar distances — 7 180 573 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 23.0 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 495 m — measured
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 18° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
November 2027
] 4 EVENTS+3 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-11-25Venus and Mars 19′ apart — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-11-282019 UT6 passes at 13.2 lunar distances — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2027-11-30The Moon 52′ from Venus — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2TUEFLYBY--:--
2017 QL33 passes at 8.1 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 143 m and 321 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 8.1 lunar distances out at 7.82 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 7.82 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 8.1 lunar distances — 3 110 557 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 15.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 143 m – 321 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 90° above the S horizon.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
- 4THUELONGATION--:--
Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky)
19° from the Sun, east before sunrise — the widest gap of this pass.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 19° — the angle between it and the Sun in our sky
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 5° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
Look low, into the twilight, and start before you think you need to — the planet is bright enough to find in a colouring sky and hard to find once the sky is properly dark, because by then it is setting. Binoculars help you catch it first; an unobstructed horizon in that direction matters more than any equipment.
- 13SATFLYBY--:--
2024 TW17 passes at 2.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 118 m and 264 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 2.8 lunar distances out at 20.9 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 20.9 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 2.8 lunar distances — 1 066 323 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 14.2 — needs a telescope
- SIZE
- 118 m – 264 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 74° above the E horizon.
A telescope object, and a moving one: at this brightness a 20-centimetre instrument shows it as a faint star that drifts against the field over a few minutes, which is how to tell it from the stars around it. Its position changes by the hour, so take the path from an ephemeris for your own place and time rather than from the single point this page links.
- 30TUEOPPOSITION--:--
Uranus at opposition
Uranus is up all night, at its closest and brightest for the year.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- FROM THE SUN
- 180° — opposite the Sun, so up all night
FROM SVALBARD — worth being outside between --:-- and --:--, when it is both dark and more than 20° up. It is highest at --:--, 33° above the S horizon.
It rises as the Sun sets and is highest in the middle of the night, which is when to look: the higher it is, the less air is in the way and the steadier the view. Any telescope will show the disc, and a night either side of this date is indistinguishable from the date itself.
December 2027
] 1 EVENT+1 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2027-12-29The Moon 31′ from Mars — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 18SATFLYBY--:--
745311 (2010 XC15) passes at 19.8 lunar distances
A body somewhere between 134 m and 301 m across depending on how dark its surface is, passing 19.8 lunar distances out at 8.89 km/s.
+WHAT TO EXPECTCLOSE
- SPEED
- 8.89 km/s — relative to Earth at closest approach
- MISS DISTANCE
- 19.8 lunar distances — 7 620 326 km
- BRIGHTNESS
- magnitude 16.6 — far below anything an amateur telescope reaches
- SIZE
- 134 m – 301 m — from its brightness, the range covering a reflective surface and a sooty one
From SVALBARD it never climbs higher than 3° above the horizon, which is a lot of atmosphere to look through.
This is a fact rather than a sight — far below what an amateur telescope reaches. It is listed because it is the kind of pass the surveys exist to catch, and because a calendar that only showed the visible ones would suggest the invisible ones are not happening.
January 2028
] NOTHING VISIBLE FROM HERE+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2028-01-08Mercury and Mars 41′ apart — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2028-01-17Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (evening sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
February 2028
] NOTHING VISIBLE FROM HERE+2 MORE NOT VISIBLE FROM SVALBARD
- 2028-02-23The Moon 12′ from Mercury — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
- 2028-02-27Mercury at its furthest from the Sun (morning sky) — It never comes above the horizon from SVALBARD around this date — at this latitude it stays below it all day.
39 events for the 18 months from today, of the kinds selected above, of which every one can be seen from SVALBARD. Times are instants, shown on your own clock; how every number here was made.
Nothing here is a hand-kept list. Every date except the flybys is solved from the same ephemeris the rest of the site uses to place the planets, at the moment you load the page; a meteor shower is dated by the longitude the Sun reaches rather than by a day of the month, which is why its date moves a little from year to year. The same events are available as JSON and CSV.
The 44 close approaches come from NASA/JPL Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, as they stood on 2026-09-08, and cover passes inside 20 lunar distances from 2026-08-09 through 2028-04-10. Unlike everything else on this page they cannot be computed from an ephemeris here — a newly discovered asteroid has no orbit until somebody measures one — so they are as complete as that date and no more.
COMMON QUESTIONS
] 10 ANSWERED- Why is there not an eclipse every month?
- Because the Moon's orbit is tilted about five degrees to the Earth's, so at most new moons its shadow passes above or below us and misses. Eclipses arrive in seasons roughly twice a year, when the two orbital planes happen to line up with the Sun.
- What fixes the date of a meteor shower?
- Where the Earth is in its orbit, not the calendar. A shower is the Earth crossing a stream of dust a comet left behind, so the peak falls at the same point in the orbit every year and drifts by a few hours against the clock — which is why the dates here are solved rather than looked up.
- Why are moon phases on a list of events?
- Because moonlight decides what else is worth chasing. A full moon costs several magnitudes of faint detail across the whole sky, so the fortnight around new moon is when meteors, galaxies and nebulae actually repay the trip outside.
- What is an opposition, and why is it the night to look?
- Opposition is the moment an outer planet sits opposite the Sun from Earth, so it rises at sunset, stands highest at midnight and sets at sunrise. It falls close to the planet's nearest approach as well, which makes it the biggest and brightest that planet gets in the year.
- What are the equinoxes and solstices, exactly?
- The four instants at which the Sun reaches its furthest north, its furthest south, or crosses the celestial equator between the two. They are moments rather than days, and they are the same moment everywhere on Earth — which is why one of them can fall on a different date depending on your time zone.
- How close does a listed flyby come?
- Inside twenty lunar distances, which is about eight million kilometres. That is close by the standards of the Solar System and by no other standard at all: nothing on this list is a hazard, and the orbits are known accurately enough to say so well in advance.
- Do I need to say where I am?
- Not for the dates. An eclipse maximum, a shower peak or an opposition is the same instant everywhere. For whether the event clears your horizon at a sensible hour — and, for a solar eclipse, for whether you are standing inside a track a few hundred kilometres wide — the answer does depend on where you are, and the page will ask if you want it.
- How far ahead can any of this be predicted?
- Centuries, for anything driven by the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets: the ephemeris behind them holds up over far longer than a lifetime, and eclipse dates thousands of years out are routine. Meteor showers are the exception — the dates are firm and the strength is not, because it depends on how the dust happens to be distributed along the stream.
- Why do the times differ by a few minutes from other sources?
- Usually because a different thing is being timed. A shower peak is a broad maximum rather than an instant, and the hour quoted for it is where the Sun reaches a longitude the observing community has agreed on, not a measurement of that year's dust; an eclipse can be quoted at greatest eclipse or at mid-totality; a phase or an eclipse can be given in different time scales. Everything here comes from one ephemeris and is stated in Universal Time, so the events are at least consistent with each other.
- Can I get these into my own calendar?
- Yes. The next twelve months are published as a subscribable feed, filtered the way the page is when you ask for it, so the events appear in whatever calendar application you already use — and a subscription slides forward on its own as the window does.