Astronomical Algorithms Sky events computed for 2029

Astronomy calendar 2029

The 97 computed sky events of 2029: 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.

‹ 2028 2029

Highlights of 2029

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.

2029 month by month

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember

January 2029

Date UTC Event Details
– Earth at perihelion Closest to the Sun: 0.9833 AU (147.1 million km).
– Saturn turns direct Stationary in Aries, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Capricornus, then moves westward against the stars.
13:27 Last quarter
17:25 New Moon 389,428 km from Earth.
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.667 AU from Earth. Not observable.
19:23 First quarter
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Sagittarius, then resumes its eastward motion.
06:04 Full Moon 367,049 km from Earth.

February 2029

Date UTC Event Details
21:52 Last quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 25.7° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
– Jupiter turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
10:32 New Moon 399,435 km from Earth.
– Mars turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
– Uranus turns direct Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion.
15:10 First quarter
17:10 Full Moon 359,661 km from Earth.

March 2029

Date UTC Event Details
07:52 Last quarter
04:19 New Moon 405,521 km from Earth.
08:02 March equinox Day and night of equal length. Spring begins in the northern hemisphere, autumn in the southern.
07:33 First quarter
– Venus at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.723 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Mars at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 0.649 AU from Earth (97.1 million km).
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.345 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Neptune in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 30.858 AU from Earth.
02:26 Full Moon 356,683 km from Earth.

April 2029

Date UTC Event Details
19:52 Last quarter
– Jupiter at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 4.449 AU from Earth (665.6 million km).
21:40 New Moon 406,373 km from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 20.1° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
19:50 First quarter
10:37 Full Moon 358,382 km from Earth.

May 2029

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
– Saturn in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 10.182 AU from Earth.
09:48 Last quarter
– Mars turns direct Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion.
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.555 AU from Earth. Not observable.
13:42 New Moon 402,045 km from Earth.
04:16 First quarter
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Aries, then resumes its eastward motion.
18:38 Full Moon 364,260 km from Earth.

June 2029

Date UTC Event Details
01:19 Last quarter
– Uranus in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 20.273 AU from Earth.
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 23.9° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
03:51 New Moon 393,720 km from Earth.
– Jupiter turns direct Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion.
09:54 First quarter
01:48 June solstice The Sun reaches its northernmost point. Longest day in the northern hemisphere, shortest in the southern.
03:22 Full Moon 373,264 km from Earth.

July 2029

Date UTC Event Details
17:58 Last quarter
– Earth at aphelion Farthest from the Sun: 1.0167 AU (152.1 million km).
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.330 AU from Earth. Not observable.
15:51 New Moon 383,245 km from Earth.
– Neptune turns retrograde Stationary in Pisces, then moves westward against the stars.
14:14 First quarter
13:36 Full Moon 383,890 km from Earth.

August 2029

Date UTC Event Details
11:16 Last quarter
01:56 New Moon 372,646 km from Earth.
18:55 First quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 27.4° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
01:51 Full Moon 394,273 km from Earth.

September 2029

Date UTC Event Details
04:33 Last quarter
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Virgo, then moves westward against the stars.
– Saturn turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
10:45 New Moon 363,785 km from Earth.
01:29 First quarter
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.644 AU from Earth. Not observable.
16:29 Full Moon 402,365 km from Earth.
17:38 September equinox Day and night of equal length. Autumn begins in the northern hemisphere, spring in the southern.
– Uranus turns retrograde Stationary in Taurus, then moves westward against the stars.
– Mercury turns direct Stationary in Leo, then resumes its eastward motion.
20:57 Last quarter

October 2029

Date UTC Event Details
– Mercury at greatest elongation west 17.9° west of the Sun: best morning visibility.
– Neptune at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 28.857 AU from Earth (4,316.9 million km).
19:15 New Moon 358,188 km from Earth.
11:09 First quarter
09:28 Full Moon 406,277 km from Earth.
– Venus at greatest elongation east 47.0° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
11:32 Last quarter
– Mercury at superior conjunction On the far side of the Sun, 1.433 AU from Earth. Not observable.
– Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 6.424 AU from Earth.

November 2029

Date UTC Event Details
04:24 New Moon 356,950 km from Earth.
00:35 First quarter
– Saturn at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 8.144 AU from Earth (1,218.4 million km).
04:03 Full Moon 404,821 km from Earth.
23:48 Last quarter

December 2029

Date UTC Event Details
14:52 New Moon 360,529 km from Earth.
– Uranus at opposition Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 18.238 AU from Earth (2,728.4 million km).
17:49 First quarter
– Mercury at greatest elongation east 20.6° east of the Sun: best evening visibility.
– Venus turns retrograde Stationary in Sagittarius, then moves westward against the stars.
– Neptune turns direct Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion.
22:47 Full Moon 398,122 km from Earth.
14:14 December solstice The Sun reaches its southernmost point. Shortest day in the northern hemisphere, longest in the southern.
– Mercury turns retrograde Stationary in Sagittarius, then moves westward against the stars.
09:49 Last quarter
– Mercury at inferior conjunction Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.674 AU from Earth. Not observable.

Full moons and new moons of 2029

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
06:04 367,049 km from Earth. 17:25 389,428 km from Earth.
17:10 359,661 km from Earth. 10:32 399,435 km from Earth.
02:26 356,683 km from Earth. 04:19 405,521 km from Earth.
10:37 358,382 km from Earth. 21:40 406,373 km from Earth.
18:38 364,260 km from Earth. 13:42 402,045 km from Earth.
03:22 373,264 km from Earth. 03:51 393,720 km from Earth.
13:36 383,890 km from Earth. 15:51 383,245 km from Earth.
01:51 394,273 km from Earth. 01:56 372,646 km from Earth.
16:29 402,365 km from Earth. 10:45 363,785 km from Earth.
09:28 406,277 km from Earth. 19:15 358,188 km from Earth.
04:03 404,821 km from Earth. 04:24 356,950 km from Earth.
22:47 398,122 km from Earth. 14:52 360,529 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 2029?

March equinox: March 20 at 08:02 UTC. June solstice: June 21 at 01:48 UTC. September equinox: September 22 at 17:38 UTC. December solstice: December 21 at 14:14 UTC.

Which planets reach opposition in 2029?

Mars on March 25, Jupiter on April 12, Neptune on October 2, Saturn on November 13 and Uranus on December 8. 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 2029?

There are 12 full moons in 2029: January 30, February 28, March 30, April 28, May 27, June 26, July 25, August 24, September 22, October 22, November 21, December 20 (dates in Universal Time).

When is Mercury retrograde in 2029?

Mercury is retrograde from January 7 to January 27, from May 1 to May 25, from September 2 to September 25 and from December 22 to January 11, 2030. 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).