Space Time
Mars at opposition, 2027
On February 19, 2027 (UTC), Mars reaches opposition at approximately magnitude -1.2. Look for an orange planet, highest around local midnight. Check local rise and set times; this relatively distant opposition gives a smaller disc than some future apparitions.
What's special about this one
Mars oppositions come only every 26 months, and each has its own character. 2027 is a modest, aphelic one. Mars stays a relatively distant 0.68 AU and reaches about magnitude −1.2 with a 13.8″ disc; the great 2033 and 2035 oppositions will be far closer. Even so, this is the best a useful season for observing Mars. The detail you can see depends on your telescope, atmospheric seeing and the planet’s altitude.
Opposition, closest approach and peak brightness are separate events. The closest and brightest values below are approximate extrema sampled once per day. Dates are in UTC; your local date may differ. Local altitude, weather, light pollution and equipment determine the view.
Find your local observing window · Inspect Mars’s data and appearance evidence
Brightness across the apparition
Visual magnitude (lower = brighter), computed daily. The gold dot marks the peak.
Apparent size
Equatorial disc diameter in arcseconds. Telescope views are best in the weeks around the peak.
Month by month
| Month | Magnitude | Disc | Distance | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2026 | 1.0 | 6.2″ | 1.52 AU | Cnc |
| Nov 2026 | 0.9 | 6.5″ | 1.43 AU | Leo |
| Dec 2026 | 0.5 | 8.0″ | 1.18 AU | Leo |
| Jan 2027 | -0.1 | 10.3″ | 0.91 AU | Leo |
| Feb 2027 | -0.9 | 13.0″ | 0.72 AU | Leo |
| Mar 2027 | -1.1 | 13.6″ | 0.69 AU | Leo |
| Apr 2027 | -0.4 | 11.2″ | 0.84 AU | Leo |
| May 2027 | 0.3 | 8.7″ | 1.07 AU | Leo |
| Jun 2027 | 0.8 | 7.0″ | 1.33 AU | Leo |
Watch it happen
Space Time is a free 3D universe explorer in your browser. Jump to opposition night and watch Mars at its real position and brightness, or generate the full ephemeris table yourself and export it as CSV. Open the simulation. To visit the planet itself, read Mars’s landscapes and seasons in 3D.
Method and sources
The date uses the app’s shared Astronomy Engine opposition search, not the largest value in a daily elongation table. Brightness, distance and size use the same ephemeris engine; distance and size are for a reference observer, so small topocentric differences are possible. Calendar dates were cross-checked against In-The-Sky’s independent planetary ephemerides on September 23, 2026. These are predictions, not live telescope measurements.