Bright “Star” Next to Moon: What Planet Is Near the Moon Tonight?
A bright planet near the Moon — what a beautiful sight, easily visible to the naked eye! Want to know if Venus or Jupiter is close to the Moon tonight? Use the free Sky Tonight app! Featuring an astronomical calendar, it can also identify any bright dot near the Moon in real time. Check out this article to learn about the upcoming Moon-planet conjunctions.
Contents
- What is the dot next to the Moon tonight?
- What do astronomers call the approach of the Moon to the planet?
- Observations
- What planet is closest to the Moon in the sky: Bottom line
What is the dot next to the Moon tonight?
From March 30 to April 5, 2026, the Moon will visit the constellations Leo, Virgo, and Libra. The most prominent stars near our natural satellite will be Regulus (mag 1.3) from Leo, and Spica (mag 1.0) from Virgo.
The Moon will reach its full phase on April 2 and remain bright and easy to spot for several nights around the date.
What do astronomers call the approach of the Moon to the planet?
In this article, you'll come across several types of celestial events. They all involve the relative positions of the Moon and celestial objects and occur close together in time. However, they differ in detail. Here is what each one means.
Closest approach (appulse)
Closest approach or appulse happens when two celestial objects have the smallest apparent distance as seen from the Earth. For the Moon and planets, appulse often takes place close to conjunction.
Conjunction
Conjunction occurs when two celestial objects have the same apparent right ascension or ecliptic longitude in the sky. In everyday language, the terms “conjunction” and “closest approach” are often used interchangeably. However, conjunction has a more technical meaning and does not necessarily occur with every appulse.
Moon-planet conjunctions occur frequently. Once every 27.3 days, our natural satellite passes through a narrow part of the sky centered on the ecliptic and encounters planets. Planetary conjunctions are less frequent; you can learn more about them in our separate article.
Occultation
Occultation takes place when a celestial body with a greater apparent diameter passes in front of a body with a smaller apparent diameter; for example, when the Moon passes in front of a star or planet. The occultation of the Sun by the Moon is called a solar eclipse. Each lunar occultation is only visible from some parts of the Earth. That's because the exact position of the Moon in the sky varies by up to 2° at different locations.
Observations
How to spot planets next to the Moon?
Here are some things to keep in mind for successful observations.
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You may miss the exact time of conjunction or closest approach, but don't worry! Even before or after the exact moment of the event, the objects will stay relatively close together, and that's just as worth observing.
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Depending on the angular distance between the objects, some events should be seen with a telescope and some with binoculars. In general, a good 10×50 binocular will give you a 6-7° field of view; for telescopes, this figure varies — it could be less than 1°. You can calculate the field of view of your optics yourself. And, of course, you can also observe an event with the naked eye.
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When the Moon is close to its full phase, it outshines fainter objects, so the planets and stars near the Full Moon may appear not as bright as they usually do.
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A bright object near the Moon can be a star or a planet. To know for sure which one you're seeing, use Sky Tonight: point your device at the object in question, and the app will tell you its name.
Jupiter and Venus (sometimes Mars and Saturn, too) are way brighter than most stars. You can tell the planets apart by their colors:
- Mercury is gray or brownish;
- Venus is pale yellow;
- Mars is pale pink or bright red;
- Jupiter is orange;
- Saturn is gold.
- To identify an object or find out when objects are closest together for your exact location, use the free stargazing tools — Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2.
Sky Tonight app
To identify an object in the sky with the help of Sky Tonight, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open Sky Tonight and point your device at the sky or tap the big blue button. A live representation of what you see in the sky will appear on the screen, and the app will start to follow your movements.
Step 2. Point your device at the part of the sky where the object is located. For convenience, you can limit the visual magnitude so that only those objects that can be seen with the naked eye appear on the screen. To do this, tap the panel at the bottom of the screen and drag the top slider to the left, closer to the eye icon. From this panel, you can also turn on the night mode, change the constellation appearance, and more.
Step 3. Now you can identify the bright object and get information about it by tapping on its name.
You can also watch our detailed video tutorial.
Star Walk 2 app
To identify an object in the sky with the help of Star Walk 2, follow these steps:
Step 1. Open Star Walk 2 and point your device at the sky or tap the compass icon in the top left corner of the screen. A live representation of what you see in the sky will appear on the screen, and the app will start to follow your movements.
Step 2. Point your device at the part of the sky where the object is located. For convenience, drag the slider on the left down until only the objects you can see in the sky remain on the screen.
Step 3. Now you can identify the bright object and get information about it by tapping on its name at the bottom of the screen.
You can also watch our detailed video tutorial. Find more videos in the Tutorials section.
How to photograph the Moon with planets?
You can take a picture of a planet near the Moon with a professional camera or even a smartphone. Here are some tips to help you:
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Check the weather forecast. Open the Sky Tonight app and tap the telescope icon at the bottom. You'll see two tabs — Stargazing Index and Weather. Select the latter and find the date with cloudless weather, so clouds don't interfere with your night of astrophotography.
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Find out when objects are well-placed for your location. In Sky Tonight, tap the magnifier icon at the bottom. Enter the name of the object you're interested in and tap the target icon next to the corresponding search result. When the app shows you the object's location, use the panel at the top to scroll through time and determine the best time to take the picture.
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Set up a frame. Determine the apparent distance between the Moon and the planet and find their altitude using Sky Tonight. Next, define a rectangle large enough to fit everything you want in the frame, but leave yourself some room. Then use a field of view calculator to find the right lens size for the coverage.
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Bring something else into the shot. It could be a tree or a small house, depending on your surroundings. Here is an example of how a target in the foreground improves a shot. Use the AR mode in Sky Tonight to superimpose the image of the night sky on your background. Tap the big blue button on the main screen for this.
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Use a tripod. It will help your camera to stay still and take several pictures from the same angle.
Planets next to the Moon in April 2026
April 15: Moon near Mercury
- Close approach time: 14:27 GMT (10:27 AM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 4°33′
- Conjunction time: 19:10 GMT (03:10 PM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 5°10′
On April 15, the 5%-illuminated Moon will be close to Mercury (mag 0.0) in the sky. They will be positioned in the constellation Pisces. Look for them in the morning, low above the eastern horizon. In the Southern Hemisphere, Mercury will appear higher above the horizon during the darker part of twilight, providing a better view. Bright Mars (mag 1.2) and Saturn (mag 0.9) will also be nearby.
April 15: Moon near Neptune
- Close approach time: 18:17 GMT (02:17 PM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 3°26′
- Conjunction time: 21:23 GMT (05:23 PM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 3°56′
On April 15, the 4%-illuminated Moon will be close to Neptune (mag 7.8) in the sky. The two will be positioned in the constellation Pisces, not far from the rising Sun. While you may be able to see the thin lunar crescent, it is unlikely that you will be able to spot dim Neptune in the bright dawn sky.
April 15: Moon near Mars
- Close approach time: 21:38 GMT (05:38 PM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 3°16′
- Conjunction time: April 16, 00:46 GMT (April 15, 08:46 PM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 3°41′
On April 15, the 4%-illuminated Moon will appear close to Mars (mag 1.2) in the constellation Pisces. Because both objects will be relatively close to the Sun in the sky, spotting them will be difficult. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Moon and Mars will be close to the horizon. In the Southern Hemisphere, Mars will appear higher above the horizon during morning twilight, providing a better view. Mercury (mag 0.0) and Saturn (mag 0.9) will also be nearby.
April 16: Moon near Saturn
- Close approach time: 02:00 GMT (April 15, 10:00 PM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 4°38′
- Conjunction time: 06:08 GMT (02:08 AM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 5°15′
On April 16, the 3%-illuminated Moon will appear near Saturn (mag 0.9); the Moon will be in Pisces, and Saturn in Cetus. Look for them in the morning, low above the eastern horizon, about an hour before sunrise. Mercury (mag 0.0) and Mars (mag 1.2) will also be nearby.
April 19: Moon near Venus
- Close approach time: 06:34 GMT (02:34 AM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 4°35′
- Conjunction time: 08:47 GMT (04:47 AM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 4°45′
On April 19, the 5%-illuminated Moon will pass close to Venus (mag –3.9); our natural satellite will be travelling from Aries to Taurus, while Venus will stay in Taurus. They will appear in the evening sky, relatively low above the western horizon. Brilliant Venus will be easy to see even from a light-polluted city.
April 19: Moon near Uranus
- Close approach time: 15:36 GMT (11:36 AM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 5°12′
- Conjunction time: 17:36 GMT (01:36 PM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 5°21′
On April 19, a very thin 7%-illuminated crescent Moon will approach Uranus (mag 5.8) in Taurus. The faint planet will require powerful binoculars or a small telescope to detect, appearing as a small, steady point of light.
The lovely Pleiades star cluster (mag 1.2) will enhance the view, also shining close to the Moon. Observers across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa will witness a lunar occultation of the Pleiades, when the Moon passes directly in front of the cluster, temporarily hiding some of its stars from view.
April 22: Moon near Jupiter
- Conjunction time: 22:03 GMT (06:03 PM EDT)
- Conjunction distance: 3°29′
- Close approach time: 23:12 GMT (07:12 PM EDT)
- Close approach distance: 3°35′
On April 22, the 37%-illuminated Moon will pass close to Jupiter (mag –2.1) in the sky. In the evening, as soon as the Sun sets, look for the bright Moon and Jupiter high above the southwestern horizon (or northwestern, if you’re in the southern latitudes) in the constellation Gemini. Even in light-polluted cities, both objects will be clearly visible to the naked eye in the evening sky. Bright stars Castor and Pollux will also shine nearby, forming a narrow triangle with Jupiter. In some locations, the Moon will appear within this narrow triangle of bright dots.
What planet is closest to the Moon in the sky: Bottom line
Now you know what those bright dots near the Moon are. To view the planets and stars near our natural satellite, choose a cloudless night and use Star Walk 2 or Sky Tonight to learn when the celestial objects are best placed for your location. For a visual explanation, watch our recently released video on how to identify bright objects near the Moon using the Sky Tonight app, step by step.
Here, you can learn about past conjunctions of the Moon and planets:
- Moon-planet conjunctions 2022;
- Moon-planet conjunctions 2023;
- Moon-planet conjunctions 2024;
- Moon-planet conjunctions 2025.
- Moon-planet conjunctions 2026.
Wishing you clear skies and happy observations!
