Astronomical Algorithms Sky events computed for 2028

Astronomy calendar 2028

The 96 computed sky events of 2028: 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 2028

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.

2028 month by month

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

January 2028

Date UTC Event Details
01:41 First quarter
– Earth at perihelion Closest to the Sun: 0.9833 AU (147.1 million km).
04:03 Full Moon 360,267 km from Earth.
– Jupiter turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 18.8° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
19:26 Last quarter
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Capricornus, then moves westward against the stars.
15:13 New Moon 405,023 km from Earth.

February 2028

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.657 AU from Earth. Not observable.
19:11 First quarter
15:04 Full Moon 356,721 km from Earth.
– Uranus turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Capricornus, then resumes its eastward motion.
08:08 Last quarter
10:38 New Moon 406,375 km from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 26.9° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.

March 2028

Date UTC Event Details
09:02 First quarter
01:06 Full Moon 358,072 km from Earth.
– Jupiter at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 4.440 AU from Earth (664.3 million km).
23:23 Last quarter
02:17 March equinox Day and night of equal length. Spring begins in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the southern.
– Mars in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 2.388 AU from Earth.
– Venus at greatest elongation east 46.1° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
04:31 New Moon 402,279 km from Earth.
– Neptune in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 30.864 AU from Earth.

April 2028

Date UTC Event Details
19:15 First quarter
10:27 Full Moon 363,865 km from Earth.
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.334 AU from Earth. Not observable.
16:37 Last quarter
– Saturn in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 10.274 AU from Earth.
19:47 New Moon 393,998 km from Earth.

May 2028

Date UTC Event Details
02:26 First quarter
19:49 Full Moon 372,906 km from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 21.4° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
– Venus turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
– Jupiter turns direct Stationary in Leo, then resumes its eastward motion.
10:43 Last quarter
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
08:16 New Moon 383,540 km from Earth.
– Uranus in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 20.342 AU from Earth.
07:37 First quarter

June 2028

Date UTC Event Details
– Venus at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.288 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.549 AU from Earth. Not observable.
06:09 Full Moon 383,568 km from Earth.
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
04:28 Last quarter
20:02 June solstice The Sun reaches its northernmost point. Longest day in the northern hemisphere, shortest in the southern.
18:28 New Moon 373,000 km from Earth.
– Venus turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 22.2° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
12:11 First quarter

July 2028

Date UTC Event Details
– Earth at aphelion Farthest from the Sun: 1.0167 AU (152.1 million km).
18:11 Full Moon 393,951 km from Earth.
– Neptune turns retrograde Stationary in Pisces, then moves westward against the stars.
20:57 Last quarter
03:02 New Moon 364,207 km from Earth.
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.338 AU from Earth. Not observable.
17:40 First quarter

August 2028

Date UTC Event Details
08:10 Full Moon 402,064 km from Earth.
– Venus at greatest elongation west 45.8° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
11:45 Last quarter
10:44 New Moon 358,582 km from Earth.
– Saturn turns retrograde Stationary in Aries, then moves westward against the stars.
01:36 First quarter

September 2028

Date UTC Event Details
23:48 Full Moon 406,157 km from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 27.1° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
00:46 Last quarter
18:24 New Moon 357,076 km from Earth.
– Uranus turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
11:45 September equinox Day and night of equal length. Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern.
13:10 First quarter
– Neptune at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 28.862 AU from Earth (4,317.6 million km).
– Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 6.453 AU from Earth.

October 2028

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.658 AU from Earth. Not observable.
16:25 Full Moon 405,162 km from Earth.
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion.
11:57 Last quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 18.2° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
02:57 New Moon 360,106 km from Earth.
04:53 First quarter
– Saturn at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 8.228 AU from Earth (1,230.8 million km).

November 2028

Date UTC Event Details
09:17 Full Moon 399,080 km from Earth.
21:26 Last quarter
13:18 New Moon 367,417 km from Earth.
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.448 AU from Earth. Not observable.
00:15 First quarter

December 2028

Date UTC Event Details
01:40 Full Moon 389,148 km from Earth.
– Uranus at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 18.307 AU from Earth (2,738.7 million km).
05:39 Last quarter
02:06 New Moon 377,878 km from Earth.
– Neptune turns direct Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion.
08:20 December solstice The Sun reaches its southernmost point. Shortest day in the northern hemisphere, longest in the southern.
21:45 First quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 19.6° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
16:48 Full Moon 377,603 km from Earth.

Full moons and new moons of 2028

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
04:03 360,267 km from Earth. 15:13 405,023 km from Earth.
15:04 356,721 km from Earth. 10:38 406,375 km from Earth.
01:06 358,072 km from Earth. 04:31 402,279 km from Earth.
10:27 363,865 km from Earth. 19:47 393,998 km from Earth.
19:49 372,906 km from Earth. 08:16 383,540 km from Earth.
06:09 383,568 km from Earth. 18:28 373,000 km from Earth.
18:11 393,951 km from Earth. 03:02 364,207 km from Earth.
08:10 402,064 km from Earth. 10:44 358,582 km from Earth.
23:48 406,157 km from Earth. 18:24 357,076 km from Earth.
16:25 405,162 km from Earth. 02:57 360,106 km from Earth.
09:17 399,080 km from Earth. 13:18 367,417 km from Earth.
01:40 389,148 km from Earth. 02:06 377,878 km from Earth.
16:48 377,603 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 2028?

March equinox: March 20 at 02:17 UTC. June solstice: June 20 at 20:02 UTC. September equinox: September 22 at 11:45 UTC. December solstice: December 21 at 08:20 UTC.

Which planets reach opposition in 2028?

Jupiter on March 12, Neptune on September 30, Saturn on October 30 and Uranus on December 3. 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 2028?

There are 13 full moons in 2028: January 12, February 10, March 11, April 9, May 8, June 7, July 6, August 5, September 3, October 3, November 2, December 2, December 31 (dates in Universal Time).

When is Mercury retrograde in 2028?

Mercury is retrograde from January 24 to February 14, from May 21 to June 14 and from September 19 to October 11. 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).