The planets as seen from Earth today
Each line gives the constellation the planet is in, its angular distance from the Sun (the elongation) and the part of the night when it can be seen. Select a planet for its own page, with the coming events and a month-by-month table.
| Planet | Constellation | From the Sun | When to look | Distance from Earth | Light-time | Motion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Virgo | 15.2° west | Morning sky | 0.7871 AU 117.7 million km |
6 min 33 s | Retrograde |
| Venus | Virgo | 27.4° west | Morning sky | 0.3190 AU 47.7 million km |
2 min 39 s | Retrograde |
| Mars | Leo | 86.0° west | Morning sky | 1.3362 AU 199.9 million km |
11 min 07 s | Direct |
| Jupiter | Leo | 84.7° west | Morning sky | 5.3207 AU 796.0 million km |
44 min 15 s | Direct |
| Saturn | Pisces | 138.3° east | Evening and most of the night | 8.6591 AU 1,295.4 million km |
1 h 12 min | Retrograde |
| Uranus | Taurus | 166.0° west | All night (optics needed) | 18.4708 AU 2,763.2 million km |
2 h 33 min | Retrograde |
| Neptune | Pisces | 131.6° east | Evening and most of the night (optics needed) | 29.2102 AU 4,369.8 million km |
4 h 02 min | Retrograde |
The Sun is in Libra (ecliptic longitude 230.22°), 0.9899 AU from Earth. The Moon is waxing, 10% lit, in Sagittarius. Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are in retrograde motion on November 12, 2026.
Rise and set times depend on your latitude and longitude: the all-sky disk draws the same planets above your own horizon.
Where the planets are around the Sun
The same instant in heliocentric coordinates: longitude measured along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox, latitude above or below the ecliptic, and distance from the Sun. This is the layout drawn by the 3D heliocentric view.
| Planet | Longitude | Latitude | Distance from the Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 91.86° | +4.81° | 0.3091 AU · 46.2 million km |
| Venus | 61.92° | −0.88° | 0.7216 AU · 108.0 million km |
| Mars | 106.28° | +1.54° | 1.6064 AU · 240.3 million km |
| Jupiter | 134.89° | +0.73° | 5.3205 AU · 795.9 million km |
| Saturn | 12.64° | −2.44° | 9.4217 AU · 1,409.5 million km |
| Uranus | 63.52° | −0.14° | 19.4327 AU · 2,907.1 million km |
| Neptune | 3.28° | −1.38° | 29.8769 AU · 4,469.5 million km |
Next planetary events
Oppositions, conjunctions, greatest elongations and the start and end of each retrograde period over the next twelve months. Dates are in Universal Time. The full lists, with the Moon phases, the equinoxes and the solstices, are in the astronomy calendars for 2026 and 2027.
| Date | Planet | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Venus | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Virgo, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Mercury | Greatest elongation west | 19.6° west of the Sun: best morning visibility. | |
| Uranus | Opposition | Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 18.443 AU from Earth (2,759.1 million km). | |
| Saturn | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Neptune | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Pisces, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Jupiter | Retrograde motion begins | Stationary in Leo, then moves westward against the stars. | |
| Mercury | Superior conjunction | On the far side of the Sun, 1.439 AU from Earth. Not observable. | |
| Venus | Greatest elongation west | 47.0° west of the Sun: best morning visibility. | |
| Mars | Retrograde motion begins | Stationary in Leo, then moves westward against the stars. | |
| Mercury | Greatest elongation east | 18.3° east of the Sun: best evening visibility. | |
| Uranus | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Taurus, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Mercury | Retrograde motion begins | Stationary in Aquarius, then moves westward against the stars. | |
| Jupiter | Opposition | Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 4.361 AU from Earth (652.4 million km). | |
| Mercury | Inferior conjunction | Passes between Earth and the Sun, 0.644 AU from Earth. Not observable. | |
| Mars | Opposition | Opposite the Sun, visible all night. 0.678 AU from Earth (101.4 million km). | |
| Mercury | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Capricornus, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Mercury | Greatest elongation west | 27.6° west of the Sun: best morning visibility. | |
| Neptune | Conjunction with the Sun | Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 30.871 AU from Earth. | |
| Mars | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Leo, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Saturn | Conjunction with the Sun | Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 10.378 AU from Earth. | |
| Jupiter | Retrograde motion ends | Stationary in Cancer, then resumes its eastward motion. | |
| Mercury | Superior conjunction | On the far side of the Sun, 1.327 AU from Earth. Not observable. | |
| Uranus | Conjunction with the Sun | Behind the Sun as seen from Earth, not observable. 20.410 AU from Earth. |
How to read these figures
A planet east of the Sun follows it across the sky and is seen in the evening; a planet west of the Sun rises before it and is seen in the morning. Below about 10° of elongation the planet is lost in the glare. Mercury and Venus, whose orbits lie inside that of Earth, never get far from the Sun; the outer planets can stand opposite to it and stay up all night.
The constellation is the one whose official boundary the ecliptic longitude of the planet falls in, not the astrological sign: because of precession the two no longer match, and the ecliptic also crosses Ophiuchus.
Frequently asked questions
Which planets are visible tonight?
On November 12, 2026, Uranus is up all night; Saturn and Neptune are in the evening sky; Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter are in the morning sky. Uranus and Neptune always need binoculars or a telescope. Rise and set times depend on where you are: the all-sky disk on the home page shows the sky for your location.
Which planets are in retrograde right now?
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are in retrograde motion on November 12, 2026. Retrograde motion is an effect of perspective: the planet seems to move westward against the stars while Earth overtakes it, or while it overtakes Earth.
How are these positions computed?
With the VSOP87 planetary theory as given in Jean Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms, evaluated on the server when the page is requested. Geocentric values take the light-time of each planet into account. Dates of events are given in Universal Time.