November 2, 2026: Watch Jupiter, Mars, Moon, gather near Regulus before sunrise. This grouping is part of a rare series of gatherings of the three solar system bodies with Regulus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:24 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:44 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Jupiter, Mars, Moon Near Regulus
Jupiter and Mars begin a rare series of groupings with the moon and Leo’s Regulus.
This morning, step outside an hour before sunrise. The crescent moon, 43% illuminated, is 60° above the south-southeast horizon. Bright Jupiter is 6.1° to the lunar orb’s lower left. Look carefully for Mars 1.5° to the moon’s lower left.
The solar system trio is in front of Leo. Jupiter is 5.7° to the upper right of Regulus and 5.2° to Mars’ lower left. The Moon-Regulus distance is 11.8°, a separation too large for all of them to fit into the same binocular field.
As both planets approach opposition and their respective periods of retrograde, they appear near Regulus. Each lunation through June 2027, the moon joins them. The closest grouping of the four bodies for North American sky watchers occurs November 30, when they fit into a circle 5.2° across and within the same binocular field. The separations vary from that close grouping to 15.2°.
Close Groupings
Close groupings are rare. Mars passes Regulus about every two years, while Jupiter’s conjunction cycle with the star spans nearly 12 years. The next time both planets are near Regulus with the moon reasonably close is September 29, 2062. From mid-America, the four celestial wonders group together in a circle 7.7°, picturesque, but too far apart to fit into the same binocular field.
2062, September 29: Jupiter, Mars, and Moon group together in a rare gathering near Regulus.
When the group of four rises on the West Coast, the moon is closer to the planets. This separation is small enough for them to fit into the same field.
Mars reaches opposition on May 14, 2063. When Mars passes Jupiter on September 26, 2062, it is not near opposition, so it continues to march eastward at a rate of about 0.5° each day. After the pretty display three mornings later, when the moon returns to the region on October 27, Mars is 13° east of Jupiter and nearly 18° east of Regulus.
Look for this morning’s grouping and mark your calendar for the close bunching of Jupiter, Mars, Moon, and Regulus on November 30.
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, November 2: Jupiter, Mars, and Moon Gather Near Regulus
November 2, 2026: Watch Jupiter, Mars, Moon, gather near Regulus before sunrise. This grouping is part of a rare series of gatherings of the three solar system bodies with Regulus. - 2026, November 1: Daylight Saving Time Ends: Moon, Jupiter, Mars, and the Planets
November 1, 2026: Daylight Saving Time ends as the Last Quarter moon approaches Jupiter and Mars. Find Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in the November sky. - 2026, October 31: Halloween Moon and Planets: Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn
October 31, 2026: Halloween’s Moon is 65% illuminated near Pollux before sunrise. Find Jupiter, Mars, and Venus in the morning sky and Saturn after sunset. - 2026, October 29-31: Morning Moon Near Elnath and Pollux
October 29-31, 2026: Follow the waning gibbous moon through Taurus and Gemini before sunrise, with positions near Elnath, Castor, and Pollux. - 2026, October 29: Daylight and Darkness Become Equal Before Halloween
October 29, 2026: At Chicago’s latitude, darkness soon exceeds daylight. Compare the duration of this period in Chicago, Anchorage, and Miami.