In April 1980, the Moon, Jupiter and Mars formed a unique 5.2-degree cluster; 46 years later, the historic naked-eye alignment returns to Manchester skies

Best spotted at 05:21am on November 30, the celestial quartet fits within half a fist held at arm's length, featuring brilliant Jupiter, reddish Mars, and Regulus without requiring binoculars.

planets close together including jupiter — Credit: Javier Miranda, Unsplash

Alice Lorenzato-Lloyd

– Editor

· November 2, 2026

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On the morning of Monday 30th November, the waning Moon, Jupiter, Mars and the star Regulus will group together (a conjunction) near the constellation Leo. At their tightest, the four span only about 5.2°, and you can see all of them with the naked eye. No telescope or binoculars needed, just a clear sky and an early alarm.

What makes this unique is that, it turns out, there are only seven comparable gatherings in 200 years. The last time the Moon, Jupiter, Mars, and Regulus were all grouped in this formation, being inside 5.2° (and were even tighter), was on April 24, 1980. After November 2026, there will be no more gatherings meeting the same brightness limits within 5.2° through to the end of 2099.

The group as seen from New York on November 30, 2026, at 05:15 EST. The chart has celestial north at the top; the orientation of the objects relative to your horizon depends on your location and viewing time. — Credit: Star Walk, Vito Technology, Inc.

What you will see in the sky

The whole group fits within about half the width of a fist held at arm’s length, so it reads as one compact cluster rather than scattered lights. Jupiter is the brightest of the three dots, at magnitude −2.2. Mars is the reddish one, much fainter at magnitude 0.5. Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, completes the line-up, with the Moon close by.

The colour difference is the easiest way to tell them apart. Look for the steady, brilliant white of Jupiter first, then pick out Mars by its warm tint.

manchester central night g20 summit — Credit: Jonny Gios via Unsplash

When and how to see it in Manchester

Depending on location, the best view comes either before dawn on 30 November or during the night of 30 November to 1 December. The best time for visibility here in Manchester is around 05.21am on the morning of November 30

The spread is also likely to look a little wider here than the 5.2° headline figure. From the UK, the four objects span about 7° while the sky is dark, and a wider grouping is expected across Europe. That is still a tight cluster, and still well within a single glance.

night sky with planets and constellations — Credit: Jeremy Thomas, Unsplash

How to plan your early start

You have four weeks, so use them. A few simple steps will help:

Pick a spot with an open view of the sky, away from tall buildings and bright street lights.
Check the Manchester forecast the evening before, since cloud is the only real obstacle.
Have a backup morning in mind: the grouping is still close on the night of 30 November to 1 December.
Give your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark before you start searching.

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