Astronomical Algorithms Sky events computed for 2027

Astronomy calendar 2027

The 94 computed sky events of 2027: oppositions, conjunctions and greatest elongations of the planets, the start and end of every retrograde period, the four phases of the Moon, the equinoxes and the solstices.

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Highlights of 2027

All dates and times are in Universal Time (UTC). Subtract or add your time zone offset: an event late in the evening UTC falls on the next calendar day east of Greenwich.

2027 month by month

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

January 2027

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.439 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Earth at perihelion Closest to the Sun: 0.9833 AU (147.1 million km).
– Venus at greatest elongation west 47.0° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
20:24 New Moon 406,521 km from Earth.
– Mars turns retrograde Stationary in Leo, then moves westward against the stars.
20:35 First quarter
12:17 Full Moon 357,643 km from Earth.
10:55 Last quarter

February 2027

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 18.3° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
15:56 New Moon 402,715 km from Earth.
– Uranus turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Aquarius, then moves westward against the stars.
– Jupiter at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 4.361 AU from Earth (652.4 million km).
07:58 First quarter
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.644 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Mars at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 0.678 AU from Earth (101.4 million km).
23:24 Full Moon 363,303 km from Earth.
05:17 Last quarter

March 2027

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Capricornus, then resumes its eastward motion.
09:30 New Moon 394,353 km from Earth.
16:25 First quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 27.6° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
20:25 March equinox Day and night of equal length. Spring begins in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the southern.
10:44 Full Moon 372,522 km from Earth.
– Neptune in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 30.871 AU from Earth.
00:54 Last quarter

April 2027

Date UTC Event Details
– Mars turns direct Stationary in Leo, then resumes its eastward motion.
23:51 New Moon 383,648 km from Earth.
– Saturn in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 10.378 AU from Earth.
– Jupiter turns direct Stationary in Cancer, then resumes its eastward motion.
22:56 First quarter
22:27 Full Moon 383,423 km from Earth.
20:18 Last quarter
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.327 AU from Earth. Not observable.

May 2027

Date UTC Event Details
10:59 New Moon 372,979 km from Earth.
04:44 First quarter
10:59 Full Moon 393,899 km from Earth.
– Uranus in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 20.410 AU from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 22.9° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
13:58 Last quarter

June 2027

Date UTC Event Details
19:40 New Moon 364,260 km from Earth.
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Gemini, then moves westward against the stars.
10:56 First quarter
00:44 Full Moon 401,949 km from Earth.
14:11 June solstice The Sun reaches its northernmost point. Longest day in the northern hemisphere, shortest in the southern.
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.556 AU from Earth. Not observable.
04:54 Last quarter

July 2027

Date UTC Event Details
03:02 New Moon 358,806 km from Earth.
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Earth at aphelion Farthest from the Sun: 1.0167 AU (152.1 million km).
– Neptune turns retrograde Stationary in Pisces, then moves westward against the stars.
18:39 First quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 20.7° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
15:45 Full Moon 405,972 km from Earth.
16:55 Last quarter

August 2027

Date UTC Event Details
10:05 New Moon 357,387 km from Earth.
04:54 First quarter
– Saturn turns retrograde Stationary in Pisces, then moves westward against the stars.
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.348 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Venus at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.731 AU from Earth. Not observable.
07:29 Full Moon 405,079 km from Earth.
02:27 Last quarter
– Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 6.409 AU from Earth.
17:41 New Moon 360,262 km from Earth.

September 2027

Date UTC Event Details
18:31 First quarter
– Uranus turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
23:04 Full Moon 399,358 km from Earth.
06:02 September equinox Day and night of equal length. Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern.
10:20 Last quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 26.3° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
– Neptune at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 28.868 AU from Earth (4,318.6 million km).
02:36 New Moon 367,131 km from Earth.

October 2027

Date UTC Event Details
11:47 First quarter
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
13:47 Full Moon 389,940 km from Earth.
– Saturn at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 8.326 AU from Earth (1,245.5 million km).
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.668 AU from Earth. Not observable.
17:29 Last quarter
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion.
13:37 New Moon 377,027 km from Earth.

November 2027

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 18.8° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
08:00 First quarter
03:26 Full Moon 378,764 km from Earth.
00:48 Last quarter
03:25 New Moon 388,238 km from Earth.
– Uranus at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 18.376 AU from Earth (2,749.0 million km).

December 2027

Date UTC Event Details
05:22 First quarter
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.451 AU from Earth. Not observable.
16:09 Full Moon 368,141 km from Earth.
– Neptune turns direct Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion.
09:11 Last quarter
02:42 December solstice The Sun reaches its southernmost point. Shortest day in the northern hemisphere, longest in the southern.
– Saturn turns direct Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion.
20:12 New Moon 398,404 km from Earth.

Full moons and new moons of 2027

Instant of each phase, when the Moon is exactly opposite the Sun (full) or in the same direction (new), with its distance from the centre of the Earth.

Full Moon UTC Distance New Moon UTC Distance
12:17 357,643 km from Earth. 20:24 406,521 km from Earth.
23:24 363,303 km from Earth. 15:56 402,715 km from Earth.
10:44 372,522 km from Earth. 09:30 394,353 km from Earth.
22:27 383,423 km from Earth. 23:51 383,648 km from Earth.
10:59 393,899 km from Earth. 10:59 372,979 km from Earth.
00:44 401,949 km from Earth. 19:40 364,260 km from Earth.
15:45 405,972 km from Earth. 03:02 358,806 km from Earth.
07:29 405,079 km from Earth. 10:05 357,387 km from Earth.
23:04 399,358 km from Earth. 17:41 360,262 km from Earth.
13:47 389,940 km from Earth. 02:36 367,131 km from Earth.
03:26 378,764 km from Earth. 13:37 377,027 km from Earth.
16:09 368,141 km from Earth. 03:25 388,238 km from Earth.
20:12 398,404 km from Earth.

How this calendar is computed

Nothing here is copied from an almanac. The positions of the planets come from the VSOP87 theory, the Moon from the lunar theory of Jean Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms, and each event is found by searching for the instant when a condition is met: the planet and the Sun at the same ecliptic longitude (conjunction) or 180° apart (opposition), the largest angle from the Sun (greatest elongation), or the day the motion in longitude reverses (start and end of a retrograde period).

Planetary events are given to the day. Moon phases, equinoxes and solstices are given to the minute and are good to about two minutes. Eclipses, occultations and meteor showers are not computed and are not listed.

Frequently asked questions

When are the equinoxes and solstices in 2027?

March equinox: March 20 at 20:25 UTC. June solstice: June 21 at 14:11 UTC. September equinox: September 23 at 06:02 UTC. December solstice: December 22 at 02:42 UTC.

Which planets reach opposition in 2027?

Jupiter on February 11, Mars on February 19, Neptune on September 28, Saturn on October 18 and Uranus on November 30. At opposition a planet is opposite the Sun in the sky: it rises at sunset, is highest around midnight, and is at its closest and brightest for the year.

How many full moons are there in 2027?

There are 12 full moons in 2027: January 22, February 20, March 22, April 20, May 20, June 19, July 18, August 17, September 15, October 15, November 14, December 13 (dates in Universal Time).

When is Mercury retrograde in 2027?

Mercury is retrograde from February 9 to March 3, from June 10 to July 4 and from October 7 to October 28. The page on Mercury retrograde gives the details of each period.

Computed with Laurent Remond's implementation of Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms (2nd ed., Willmann-Bell, 1998).