Mercury–Jupiter conjunction August 2026: All you need to know

Conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter in August 2026

When it occurs: A close conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter will occur on August 15, 2026, when the two planets will appear only about 0.5° apart (roughly the width of a full moon).

When to see: Start watching them near the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise around August 12, when they will appear to move toward each other as Jupiter climbs higher and Mercury sinks lower. They will appear closest on the morning of August 15.

After the conjunction, Jupiter will climb even higher and move away from Mercury each day. Meanwhile, Mercury will move closer to the eastern horizon and fade into the sunrise glare.

Finder charts:

How to see: The planetary pair will be visible to the naked eye if you have a clear sky and an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon. Jupiter (shining at magnitude -1.6) will appear slightly brighter than Mercury (shining at magnitude -1.2).

You might use a pair of binoculars or a telescope to enhance visibility. Through a telescope, Mercury will appear 85% illuminated on the morning of August 15, exhibiting its waxing gibbous phase.

What else to watch: While watching for the Mercury–Jupiter conjunction, you might also notice reddish Mars in the eastern sky and lonely Saturn in the southern sky. Mars and Saturn will appear much dimmer than Mercury and Jupiter, but they will be easy to spot because they will appear higher in the sky.

When does a conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter occur?

A conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter occurs when the two planets align in space from Earth’s perspective, even though they are still millions of miles apart.

How often does a conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter occur?

A similar conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter occurs once every 2 years and 2 months. Here, “similar conjunction” refers to the interval between two successive evening conjunctions or two successive morning conjunctions.

However, the interval from one evening conjunction to the next morning conjunction is about 2 months, while the interval from one morning conjunction to the next evening conjunction is about 2 years.

For example, after the evening conjunction on June 25, 2026, the next Mercury–Jupiter conjunction will occur about 2 months later, on August 15, 2026, and it will be a morning conjunction.

Here are the dates of Mercury–Jupiter conjunctions from 2026 to 2030:

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