2026, July 19-25: Mars Marches Toward Taurus’ Horns Before Sunrise

July 19-25, 2026: Follow Mars as it moves eastward in front Taurus toward Elnath and Zeta Tauri. Includes nightly measurements, Orion’s return to the morning sky, and binocular observing tips.

Mars with Pisces, July 3, 2020.
2020, July 3: Mars appears 3.6° from 29 Piscium (29 Psc) as it continues to march eastward in southern Pisces.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Venus as an Evening Star

Mars Marches Eastward

2007, December 1: Late winter in the northern hemisphere shows clouds above the northern polar cap and some above the southern cap.
Photo Caption – 2007, December 1: Late winter in the northern hemisphere shows clouds above the northern polar cap and some above the southern cap. (NASA Photo)

Mars marches eastward in front of Taurus in the predawn eastern sky while Orion follows the Bull into the morning sky from the lower right.

Step outside with a binocular an hour before sunrise and look eastward. The Red Planet is over 20° above the horizon. It marches eastward in front of the Bull to the upper left of Aldebaran and the “V” of Taurus, made by that bright star and the Hyades star cluster.

Mars is not as bright as might be expected because it is about 190 million miles from Earth. Its brightness changes noticeably with its distance from our planet. When closer to Earth, Mars can outshine Jupiter. This morning, it is about 65% of Aldebaran’s brightness. Both bodies display yellow-orange to red-orange hues.

The planet is moving toward the Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, passing between them on August 3.

Watch Mars move eastward toward Elnath. The changing distances below show the planet’s nightly motion against Taurus.

Highlights

Mars, Taurus, July 19-25, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, July 19-25: Mars marches eastward against Taurus’ in the eastern sky during morning twilight.

Here’s what to see:

• July 19: Mars is 6.9° to Aldebaran’s upper left – a tight fit in a binocular field – and 10.2° to Elnath’s upper right. The Aldebaran-Elnath gap is 16.7°.

• July 20: Mars-Aldebaran, 7.3°; Mars-Elnath, 9.5°.

• July 21: Mars-Aldebaran, 7.8°; Mars-Elnath, 8.9°.

• July 22: Mars-Aldebaran, 8.3°; Mars-Elnath, 8.4°. The planet is nearly midway from Aldebaran to Elnath and crosses an imaginary line connecting the two stars.

• July 23: Mars-Aldebaran, 8.9°; Mars-Elnath, 7.9°. Mars is east of the line from Aldebaran to Elnath. The Mars-Zeta Tauri gap is 8.2° with the planet to the upper right.

• July 24: Mars-Aldebaran, 9.4°; Mars-Elnath, 7.4°; and Mars-Zeta Tauri, 7.6°.

• July 25: Mars-Aldebaran, 10.0°; Mars-Elnath, 6.9°; and Mars-Zeta Tauri, 6.9°.

During the week, the Mars-Aldebaran gap widens from 6.9° to 10.0° while the Mars-Elnath gap narrows from 10.2° to 6.9°.

With Taurus’ rich starfield, Mars’ eastward movement is easy to follow through a binocular compared to the fainter background stars as well as Aldebaran, Elnath, and Zeta Tauri.

Orion Returns

While Mars passes Taurus, Orion follows the Bull into the morning sky from the lower right. A binocular helps locate the Hunter’s shoulders – Betelgeuse and Bellatrix – and the three stars of the belt. As summer approaches its midpoint, more of the constellation is visible each morning.

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