Next 12 Months
Could we see it? Eclipses, planets, comets and Moon events coming up, each with its source.
Could we see it?
Night or Twilight Launches
- When
- None with a firm time in the next 7 days
- Where to look
- Toward the Cape, east to northeast
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected from our current schedule.
Source: our launch schedule (Launch Library 2, updated Sun, Oct 25 4:08 a.m. EDT). Times move often; check the launch page.
Space Station (ISS) Passes
- When
- Several times a week, near dusk or dawn
- Where to look
- Pass details give where it rises and sets
- How visible
- Naked eye: a steady, bright "star" crossing in a few minutes, with no blinking.
We can't compute passes ourselves, and NASA has no public pass API, so use NASA Spot the Station (search for Melbourne, Florida, or use the app) or Heavens-Above for Melbourne.
Satellite and Rocket-Stage Reentries
- When
- Predictions are usually uncertain by hours until the last day
- Where to look
- Only matters if the predicted window and ground track cross Florida at night
- How visible
- Rare. A fragmenting reentry looks like a slow, multi-piece fireball.
Aerospace Corp's reentry predictions list each object's window and uncertainty. Their site blocks automated reading, so we don't list items here and nothing over Florida is flagged.
Comet 2P/Encke
- When
- Predicted peak around Wed, Feb 10, 2027
- Where to look
- About 9° from the Sun then, in the morning (east before dawn) sky, which is too close to the Sun for most viewers
- How visible
- Binoculars or a small telescope (predicted peak magnitude 8.8). Realistically very hard to see
Source: COBS comet database (predicted brightness); Sun distance from JPL Horizons. Comet brightness predictions are often wrong.
Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova
- When
- Predicted peak around Tue, Aug 31, 2027
- Where to look
- About 31° from the Sun then, in the morning (east before dawn) sky
- How visible
- Binoculars or a small telescope (predicted peak magnitude 8.5)
Source: COBS comet database (predicted brightness); Sun distance from JPL Horizons. Comet brightness predictions are often wrong.
Close Asteroid Flybys
- When
- 32 small asteroids pass within 0.05 AU in the next 60 days
- Where to look
- –
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected: none gets brighter than magnitude 13, about the limit of a good backyard telescope. Closest: (2025 UK9) on Fri, Oct 30 at 0.8 times the Moon's distance, too faint to see.
Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS, with brightness checked in JPL Horizons.
Northern Lights (Aurora)
- When
- Highest forecast: Kp 4.00, Sun, Oct 25 8:00 a.m. EDT
- Where to look
- Low in the north, away from lights
- How visible
- Nothing visible expected. Florida usually needs a severe storm (Kp 8 or more).
Source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, fetched Sun, Oct 25 1:36 a.m. EDT. About the G scale.
Coming Up in the Next 12 Months
| Date | Event | From Brevard? | Where to look | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov 20, 2026 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east-southeast about 45 minutes before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2026; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Tue, Nov 24, 2026, 9:53 a.m. EST | Full Moon, close to Earth | naked eye | Rises in the east-northeast around sunset. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Nov 25, 2026 | Uranus at opposition | binoculars (magnitude 5.6) | Up all night, highest around midnight. You need a star chart or app to find it. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2026; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Dec 23, 2026, 8:28 p.m. EST | Closest full Moon of the year ("supermoon") | naked eye | Rises in the east-northeast around sunset. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Jan 3, 2027 | Venus at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye (magnitude -4.5) | The brilliant "morning star" in the southeast before dawn. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Jan 22, 2027, 7:17 a.m. EST | Full Moon, close to Earth | naked eye | Sets in the west-northwest at dawn on Jan 22; rises at sunset that evening. | USNO moon phases; distance from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Feb 3, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west-southwest about 45 minutes after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sat, Feb 6, 2027 | Annular solar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Wed, Feb 10, 2027 | Jupiter at opposition | naked eye (magnitude -2.6); binoculars show its moons | Rises in the east at sunset, high in the south around midnight, in Leo. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Feb 19, 2027 | Mars at opposition | naked eye (magnitude -1.3) | Bright orange "star" rising in the east at sunset, highest around midnight, in Leo near Jupiter. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sat, Feb 20, 2027, greatest eclipse 6:14 p.m. EST | Penumbral lunar eclipse | naked eye (subtle shading) | The Moon is just rising in the east at greatest eclipse (JPL Horizons: altitude about 0° at 6:14 p.m., about 15° by 7:30 p.m.). | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak; Moon altitude from JPL Horizons |
| Wed, Mar 17, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Fri, May 7, 2027 | Venus and Saturn close together | naked eye; great in binoculars | Low in the east before dawn on May 7 and 8. | Computed with NASA/JPL Horizons |
| Fri, May 28, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west-northwest after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Thu, Jul 15, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (morning) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the east-northeast before sunrise. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Jul 18, 2027 | Penumbral lunar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Mon, Aug 2, 2027 | Total solar eclipse | Not visible | – | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak |
| Tue, Aug 17, 2027, greatest eclipse 3:15 a.m. EDT | Penumbral lunar eclipse | naked eye (subtle shading) | The Moon is about 41° up in the southwest (JPL Horizons). | NASA GSFC eclipse predictions by Fred Espenak; Moon altitude from JPL Horizons |
| Fri, Sep 24, 2027 | Mercury at greatest elongation (evening) | naked eye in twilight | Low in the west after sunset. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
| Sun, Oct 17, 2027 | Saturn at opposition | naked eye (magnitude 0.1); rings need a small telescope | Rises in the east at sunset, south around midnight. | Hong Kong Observatory, Planetary Phenomena 2027; verified with JPL Horizons |
← Tonight's sky over Brevard · Sources: how we use them