Inferior conjunction — Venus! October 23-24, 2026

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Inferior conjunction — Venus!

Venus travels one step inward from Earth in orbit around the sun. Its orbit is smaller than Earth’s. It has less distance to cover. And it moves faster in orbit (about 35 km/s or 78,300 mph in contrast to about 30 km/s or 67,000 mph for Earth). So Venus gains a lap on us, going between us and the sun, about every 19.5 months. That’ll happen next at 4 UTC on Saturday, October 24, 2026 (11 p.m. CDT on October 23).

Astronomers will say that Venus is in inferior conjunction with the sun. On the day of inferior conjunction, Venus will go from being an evening planet to being a morning planet, when it passes 6.6 degrees south of the sun in our sky. More about when to see Venus next below.

Will you see Venus on the day of inferior conjunction? It’s not likely, unless you’re an extremely careful and experienced telescopic and/or photographic observer. After all, on the day of inferior conjunction, Venus will be crossing the sky — as a slender crescent — with the sun during the day. Please do not attempt to observe Venus near the sun unless you’re an experienced sun observer.

Read: What’s a conjunction?

Will Venus transit the sun in 2026?

Sometimes Venus passes directly in front of the sun at inferior conjunction. At such times, astronomers say there is a transit of Venus.

For example, on June 3, 2020, Venus passed nearly between us and the sun. Close! And quite dramatic. Venus appeared in our sky within “touching distance” of our star, missing the solar disk in 2020 by only a quarter of a degree.

Venus last passed directly in front of the sun on June 5, 2012 (and also eight years before that, on June 8, 2004). Transits of Venus always come in pairs.

And when is the next one? Not until 2117!

Transits of Venus occur in a repeating 243–year cycle. Within each cycle, transits happen in pairs spaced eight years apart, separated by gaps of over a century.

Recent and upcoming transits include:

• June 8, 2004
• June 5–6, 2012 (8 years later)
• December 10–11, 2117 (105.5 years later)
• December 8, 2125 (8 years later)

You’ll see Venus next before dawn

In 2026 — moving through the constellation Virgo the Maiden — Venus will pass south of the sun in our sky at the moment of inferior conjunction, at a distance of 6.6 degrees.

At the moment of inferior conjunction, Venus will officially shift from the evening to the morning sky for all observers on Earth.

So, when you can expect to see Venus come back to the morning sky?

The answer depends on where you are on Earth. We in the Northern Hemisphere had a poor view of Venus as it disappeared into the sunset glare in early October. That is because the angle of the ecliptic — or path of the sun, moon and planets — slants low to the autumn evening horizon.

But the Southern Hemisphere had a great view! It’s spring in the Southern Hemisphere now, and the springtime ecliptic stands nearly straight up with respect to the evening horizon. So Venus was high above the sunset, as seen from that part of the globe.

So what about the return of Venus to the morning sky?

The situation will be reversed as Venus returns to the east before. The Northern Hemisphere will benefit from a steep morning ecliptic. Venus will appear in early November and shoot up quickly above the sunrise.

And the Southern Hemisphere will have a slanted morning ecliptic. Venus will crawl slowly out of the sunrise glare. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, expect it around mid-month in November.

No matter where you are, look east about 20-30 minutes before sunrise. Venus is the brightest planet. And it’ll surprise you with its brightness so low in the sky!

For all of us, after mid-November, Venus will be the bright morning “star.” And – yippee! It’ll be heading for another greatest brilliancy around November 29.

Cycles of Venus

The 1.6-year period — after which the position of Venus relative to the sun repeats, as seen from Earth — is called its synodic period.

Notice that five synodic periods of Venus add up to eight years (just 2 1/2 days short). And so we have a cycle: inferior conjunctions of Venus that are eight years apart happen at the same time of year, in the same part of the sky, with Venus at a similar angular distance from the sun, that is, the same apparent distance from the sun on the sky’s dome. Over time, this 2 1/2-day variance will accumulate, so that the conjunctions “jump” into the previous month.

So inferior conjunctions of Venus strongly resemble each other on an 8-year cycle.

For experts, seeing Venus at inferior conjunction

Please do not attempt to observe Venus near the sun unless you’re an experienced sun observer.

Keen observers — depending on your location — might be able to see Venus through a telescope at — or near — inferior conjunction, when it passes 6.6 degrees south of the sun on October 23-24, 2026. It’ll shine at -3.9 magnitude. And it’ll be a razor-thin crescent, only 61.12 arcseconds across.

To see a precise view from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Bottom line: Venus reaches inferior conjunction — passing between Earth and the sun — at 4 UTC on October 24, 2026. Afterwards, Venus emerges into the eastern sky before dawn. Expect it by mid-November at least! Or early November if you’re on the northern half of Earth’s globe.