August 2-5, 2026: Watch Mars march eastward in front of Taurus as it passes between Elnath and Zeta Tauri. Follow the Red Planet’s changing position during morning twilight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Venus as an Evening Star
Mars, Taurus Horns
During morning twilight, Mars marches eastward in front of Taurus, passing between the Bull’s horns.
An hour before sunrise, step outside with a binocular and look eastward. Many of winter’s bright evening stars are returning to the eastern morning sky after disappearing into western evening twilight during the spring months. Orion is returning to the eastern morning sky below Taurus, making this a rewarding region to watch from morning to morning.
Reddish Mars is over 25° above the eastern horizon. It is dimmer than expected because it is 185 million miles away. Next February, when Earth passes between Mars and the sun, the planet reaches opposition and is 10 times brighter than it is this morning.
Similar in color to the planet, Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star, is about 15° to Mars’ upper right, while Betelgeuse, Orion’s shoulder, is about the same distance to the lower right. Mars is now noticeably closer to Taurus’ horns than it is to Aldebaran.
Mars marches eastward, passing between the Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri. Elnath, the northern horn and the brighter of the pair, is 7.9° to Zeta Tauri’s upper left, too far apart to fit into the same binocular field of view. Each morning, look for Mars’ changing position against the distant starfield.
Highlights
Here’s what to see:
• August 2: Mars–Elnath, 5.4°; Mars is to Elnath’s lower right. Mars–Zeta Tauri, 2.6°; Mars is to Zeta Tauri’s upper left.
• August 3: Mars–Elnath, 5.5°; Mars–Zeta Tauri, 2.4°. Mars passes between the horns.
• August 4: Mars–Elnath, 5.8°; Mars–Zeta Tauri, 2.3°. Mars–Zeta Tauri conjunction.
• August 5: Mars–Elnath, 6.2°; Mars–Zeta Tauri, 2.5°.
While there is no significance to Mars passing between the horns, it serves as an interesting milestone along the ecliptic and an easy-to-see marker of the planet’s eastward motion from morning to morning. Few planetary motions are as easy to follow through a binocular as Mars moving between Taurus’ horns over several mornings.
Watch the Red Planet march between Taurus’ horns.
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, October 4: Saturn at Opposition – Closest and Brightest for 2026
October 4, 2026: Saturn reaches opposition today, rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. Follow the Ringed Wonder through Cetus and track its retrograde motion with a binocular until December. - 2026, October 3-5: Moon Passes Mars Before Jupiter Occultation on October 6
October 3-5, 2026: The waning moon approaches Mars before dawn October 3–5, passing the Beehive star cluster before its October 6 occultation (eclipse) of Jupiter. - 2026, October 2: Three Bright Planets and the Moon Before Sunrise
October 2, 2026: The moon passes Elnath before reaching Last Quarter phase. Mars approaches the Beehive cluster while Jupiter shines near Regulus and Saturn nears opposition. - 2026, October 1: Moon Passes Aldebaran and Approaches Jupiter Occultation
October 1, 2026: The waning moon shines in front of Taurus near Aldebaran and the Pleiades. Watch it move toward Mars and an occultation (eclipse) of Jupiter across North America. - 2026, September 30: See Saturn Through a Telescope
September 30, 2026: Look for opportunities to see Saturn through a telescope at a local museum or public sky watching event. Check our directory.