What is the bright star next to the Moon?
Usually a planet. The Moon passes each of the five bright planets about once a month: 78 times from October 14, 2026 to the end of 2027. Seen from 40° north, 47 of these meetings can be seen, with the Moon and the planet both at least 10° up at dusk or dawn and no more than 10° apart. Below: every one of them, by date, and a calculator that names what is next to the Moon at any hour and place.
What is next to the Moon right now
Enter your latitude and longitude (west is negative), the time zone your clock is on, a date and an hour. The angle is measured from where you stand.
The date starts at today; without JavaScript, the example above is New York on November 7, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.
Moon and planet meetings, October to December 2026
The date is the day the Moon passes the planet (Eastern time). The best view is the evening or morning, that day or the day before or after, when the Moon and the planet are both at least 10° up as twilight ends or begins, and the angle between them, as seen from 40° north, is smallest.
| Meeting | Planet | Best view at 40° north |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 | Saturn | Oct 24, evening, 8.2° |
| Nov 2 | Mars | Nov 2, morning, 1.8° |
| Nov 2 | Jupiter | Nov 2, morning, 6.5° |
| Nov 7 | Venus | Nov 7, morning, 1.7° |
| Nov 20 | Saturn | Nov 20, evening, 5.5° |
| Nov 30 | Jupiter | Nov 30, morning, 2.4° |
| Nov 30 | Mars | Nov 30, morning, 4.6° |
| Dec 5 | Venus | Dec 5, morning, 8.1° |
| Dec 18 | Saturn | Dec 17, evening, 6.6° |
| Dec 27 | Jupiter | Dec 27, morning, 3.8° |
| Dec 28 | Mars | Dec 28, morning, 5.6° |
Moon and planet meetings in 2027
| Meeting | Planet | Best view at 40° north |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 3 | Venus | Jan 3, morning, 9.2° |
| Jan 14 | Saturn | Jan 14, evening, 7.4° |
| Jan 23 | Jupiter | Jan 24, morning, 7.6° |
| Jan 24 | Mars | Jan 24, morning, 9.8° |
| Feb 2 | Venus | Feb 2, morning, 7.4° |
| Feb 11 | Saturn | Feb 10, evening, 6.2° |
| Feb 20 | Jupiter | Feb 19, evening, 3.0° |
| Mar 4 | Venus | Mar 4, morning, 4.9° |
| Mar 10 | Saturn | Mar 10, evening, 8.7° |
| Mar 19 | Jupiter | Mar 18, evening, 5.5° |
| Mar 19 | Mars | Mar 19, evening, 6.9° |
| Apr 15 | Jupiter | Apr 15, evening, 6.2° |
| Apr 15 | Mars | Apr 15, evening, 3.5° |
| May 12 | Jupiter | May 12, evening, 2.3° |
| May 13 | Mars | May 13, evening, 5.6° |
| Jun 1 | Saturn | Jun 1, morning, 6.6° |
| Jun 9 | Jupiter | Jun 8, evening, 6.0° |
| Jun 10 | Mars | Jun 10, evening, 5.2° |
| Jun 28 | Saturn | Jun 28, morning, 8.8° |
| Jul 6 | Jupiter | Jul 6, evening, 3.2° |
| Jul 9 | Mars | Jul 8, evening, 5.4° |
| Jul 26 | Saturn | Jul 26, morning, 7.5° |
| Aug 6 | Mars | Aug 6, evening, 6.8° |
| Aug 22 | Saturn | Aug 22, morning, 7.6° |
| Sep 4 | Mars | Sep 4, evening, 9.0° |
| Sep 18 | Saturn | Sep 18, morning, 8.3° |
| Sep 28 | Jupiter | Sep 28, morning, 4.0° |
| Oct 3 | Mars | Oct 3, evening, 9.6° |
| Oct 26 | Jupiter | Oct 26, morning, 6.0° |
| Nov 1 | Mars | Nov 1, evening, 8.6° |
| Nov 11 | Saturn | Nov 11, evening, 6.9° |
| Nov 22 | Jupiter | Nov 22, morning, 6.9° |
| Nov 30 | Venus | Nov 30, evening, 3.6° |
| Dec 9 | Saturn | Dec 8, evening, 8.1° |
| Dec 20 | Jupiter | Dec 20, morning, 7.0° |
| Dec 30 | Venus | Dec 30, evening, 2.7° |
The closest ones
The closest is on the morning of November 7, 2026, when Venus is 1.7° from the Moon; next come Mars on the morning of November 2, 2026 (1.8°) and Jupiter on the evening of May 12, 2027 (2.3°). The Moon itself is about half a degree across.
Not every meeting shows
Not every meeting can be seen: Jupiter 14 of 16, Mars 13 of 16, Saturn 13 of 16, Venus 7 of 15, and Mercury none of 15, because it never moves far from the Sun. The others happen when the Moon or the planet is too low in twilight, or the two are more than 10° apart.
If it is not a planet
When no planet is near, the bright point next to the Moon is most likely a star. The brightest ones for each month are on the page about the bright star in the west tonight.
Where Angel Step fits
Angel Step reads only your step count from Apple Health and shows it as one number on a living sky. It does not track the Moon; that is this page's job. A night when the Moon and a planet meet is a good night for a walk.
Sources
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan — the dates the Moon passes each planet, used to check this page's dates. NAOJ
- JPL Horizons — planet positions, used to check this page's angles. JPL
- US Naval Observatory — sunrise, sunset and twilight rule. USNO
- 15 U.S.C. § 260a — daylight saving time, used for the clock times. Cornell LII
Updated