observatories monitoring our star will be able to record the Venus and Mars events. One such observatory is NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft.

After this event with Venus and Mars, I will post more information on what happens on Mars during a superior conjunction. 9/9

conjunction, being within 10 arcminutes of each other (visually). Two days later on January 9, 2026, Mars will reach superior conjunction. And one day later on January 10, 2026, Jupiter will reach opposition.

Other than Jupiter, none of this will be visible to the unaided eye. Only 8/9

2.5 AU (232,389,518 miles or 373,994,676 kilometers) from our Earth, but during opposition, Mars can be as close as 0.5 AU (46,477,903 miles or 74,798,934 kilometers).

So, on January 6, 2026, Venus will reach superior conjunction. The next day on January 7, 2026, Venus and Mars have a close 7/9

and are visible for much of the night, making them ideally placed for observation. At around the same time, they also make their closest approaches to the Earth, so that they appear at their largest and brightest. A good example is Mars.

During superior conjunction, Mars can be about 6/9

It is still called a superior conjunction when any of the outer planets are on the opposite side of our home star. But, when our Earth sits between our home star and one of the outer planets, then it is known as opposition. It is during opposition that they rise at nightfall and set at sunrise, 5/9

called "inferior planets" because their orbits are inside the orbit of our Earth. This means they are closer to our star than we are.

The outer planets, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto, are known as superior planets because they don't pass between our Earth and home star. 4/9

about every 584 days. Mercury has a superior conjunction about every 116 days.

But these two inner planets also have what is called an inferior conjunction. An inferior conjunction is when a planet (or celestial object) is positioned between our Earth and home star. Mercury and Venus are 3/9

A superior conjunction occurs when from our planet's view a planet is on the opposite side of our home star. It is during a superior conjunction that the planet appears closest to our home star from our perspective and is difficult to see due to the star's glare. With Venus, this happens about 2/9

You're not the only one. 🤣🤣🤣

Went from "a lot of places" to "a few states" but never named them. Must be a lie.