A remarkable astronomical start to the new year: a rare solar conjunction of Venus and Mars

Image illustrating planetary positions

 

A remarkable astronomical start to the new year: a rare solar conjunction of Venus and Mars

The beginning of 2026 will witness a rare astronomical event: a consecutive double solar conjunction of Venus and Mars. The two planets will pass behind the Sun's disk over a period of no more than three days, in a precise alignment that makes them impossible to observe from Earth and poses a risk to the eyes due to the intense solar glare.

According to Majid Abu Zahra, head of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, Venus and Mars will appear to move in opposite directions across the sky during this event. Venus will pass behind the Sun on January 6 at 8:00 PM Mecca time, in what is known astronomically as a "superior solar conjunction." 

Mars will follow, passing behind the Sun on January 9 at 6:59 AM Mecca time. This exceptionally close proximity makes this event a double solar conjunction.

Superior conjunction occurs when a planet is positioned on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth, resulting in its complete disappearance from visual observation. 

Space communications are sometimes affected by disturbances in the solar corona. Weeks after this alignment, Mars will gradually reappear in the dawn sky and can be seen before sunrise, while Venus will regain its brilliance in the evening sky, once again becoming the "Evening Star"—a clear shift in their apparent positions.

Protect Your Eyesight

On Monday, Abu Zahra emphasized on his official Facebook page that this event serves as a reminder of the precise orbital motion of planets and the beauty of astronomical phenomena invisible to the naked eye but documented by space-based observation instruments.

He stressed the importance of avoiding attempts to observe planets directly near the Sun to protect one's eyesight. Thanks to technological advancements in space observation, this phenomenon can be safely observed via the SOHO space observatory. 

SOHO is distinguished by its ability to observe and image celestial objects very close to the Sun using specialized instruments that obscure its bright disk, allowing for the documentation of planetary motion during solar conjunction without any risk to human observation.

Regales

Ashraf Tadros, Professor of Astrophysics and former Head of the Astronomy Department at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics in Egypt, explained that tomorrow, January 6th, the Moon will rise in conjunction with the star Regulus (the Heart of Leo) in the eastern sky at 9:00 PM Cairo time. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky in general.

This magnificent spectacle can be seen with the naked eye and will remain visible until it disappears in the morning twilight with sunrise the following day. Regulus has a mass 3.5 times that of the Sun and is approximately 79 light-years away from Earth.