This is a dated observing guide for one event. Check the source calendar and local conditions before making plans. A later year needs its own fresh forecast.
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When it happens
JPL Horizons puts opposition at about 15:51 UTC on February 19, 2027. SkyLumi’s own ephemeris gives 15:44 UTC. Mars rises at sunset and sets at sunrise around this date, so the whole night is usable.
Mars stays bright for weeks either side. Its distance changes slowly enough that a clear night in early February or mid March looks much the same.
What you will see
Mars reaches magnitude −1.3 at opposition, about as bright as Sirius and unmistakably orange. Its disc measures 13.8 arcseconds across.
That is small. Binoculars show a bright orange point and nothing more. A telescope at high power shows a tiny disc. Markings on it need steady air and a patient eye.
This is not one of the close oppositions. Mars comes nearer when opposition falls in August or September, and its disc is then almost twice this wide.
Where to look
Mars sits in Leo, at right ascension 10h 18m and declination +15 degrees. Jupiter reaches its own opposition eight days earlier, in the same constellation. The two are the brightest things in that part of the sky.
A northern declination of +15 degrees puts Mars high for northern observers. From the far southern hemisphere it stays lower in the sky.
The Moon that night
On February 19, 2027 the Moon is a waxing gibbous about 97% lit, per the US Naval Observatory. It is full the next evening, and Earth’s outer shadow crosses it. Read the penumbral eclipse guide for that.
A bright Moon does not hide Mars. It does wash out the fainter stars of Leo around it.
The next one
Mars comes to opposition about every 26 months, the longest gap of any bright planet. The next falls around March 25, 2029, computed with the same ephemeris this site uses.
That one is slightly closer, at 97 million km. Its page will be written once the date is checked against a primary source.
Sources and image credits
- NASA JPL Horizons. Opposition instant, distance, apparent magnitude and apparent diameter, from apparent geocentric ecliptic longitudes at one-minute steps, fetched 8 September 2026.
- NASA: Mars. General facts about the planet.
- US Naval Observatory: Moon phase and illumination. Moon phase and illuminated fraction on February 19, 2027, fetched 8 September 2026.
Written for beginners from the sources above. How we research and correct the library. Found an error? Tell us.