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Kelvin Verhovlyak

TOGETHER: The Moon's waning crescent, Venus, and Regulus are close in the early morning sky.

On September 19, the Moon, Venus, and Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation Leo, were visible with the naked eye right next to each other early in the morning.

The Moon and Venus had a few planetary conjunctions on November 27, 2011, April 23, 2023, January 3, 2025, and February 1, 2025. However, Regulus joins in with its blue tint, forming a trio celestial conjunction. In some locations, they would resemble a “smiley face,” with Venus and Regulus forming the eyes, and the Moon forming the mouth with its crescent lighting. In some areas, they would see the Moon pass in front of Venus, a rare event called a lunar occultation.

Major Conjunctions in 2026

• Saturn-Neptune Conjunction (February 20): Saturn and Neptune will align at Aries (a zodiac), which only happens every 36-37 years.
• Planet Parade: On February 28, Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter will align. Then, on August 12, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune will align.

Other Events

• Bright Jupiter (January 10): The planet will be at its closest and brightest point to Earth
• Total Lunar Eclipse (March 3): A blood moon will be visible from Western North America, Australia, New Zealand, and East Asia.