Venus will reach superior solar conjunction—when it passes almost directly behind the sun from Earth’s perspective—on January 6, 2026, marking its transition from the morning sky to the evening sky.
Venus at superior conjunction 2026
When it occurs: Venus will reach superior solar conjunction—when it passes almost directly behind the sun from Earth’s perspective—on January 6, 2026, at 16:00 UTC (11 a.m. EST).
Alignment: As Venus aligns behind the sun from Earth’s perspective, it appears very close to the sun in our sky. As a result, it rises and sets almost with the sun.
Significance: Venus at superior solar conjunction marks its transition from the eastern morning sky to the western evening sky.
Visibility: Around its superior solar conjunction, Venus will not be visible in our sky for several weeks, as it is lost in the sun’s glare. It will reappear in the western evening sky (as an evening “star”) by late February to early March 2026.
Thereafter, Venus will remain visible in the evening sky for about seven months, from March to September, before it begins to disappear into the sun’s glare at the beginning of October 2026. Venus will reach inferior solar conjunction—when it passes between the sun and Earth—on October 24, 2026.
Phase of Venus: As Venus is on the far side of the sun from Earth at its superior solar conjunction, the side of Venus that faces us is fully illuminated. Therefore, Venus will be in its full phase at superior solar conjunction on January 6, 2026.
Distance from Earth: Venus will reach its farthest distance from Earth at superior solar conjunction on January 6, 2026, passing to a distance of about 1.71 AU or 255.8 million km.
Size of Venus: Venus will appear smallest in size at superior solar conjunction on January 6, 2026. If it could be observed using proper sun-blocking filters, Venus would measure only about 9.8 arcseconds in diameter.
How often does Venus reach superior conjunction?
Venus reaches its superior solar conjunction once every 584 days. This interval is called the synodic period of Venus. It is the time Venus takes to orbit the sun relative to Earth. The synodic period is longer than the actual orbital period of Venus (about 225 days) because Earth is also moving in its orbit around the sun.
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