Sky event · 21 November 2026
BepiColombo reaches Mercury orbit
BepiColombo, the European and Japanese mission to Mercury, is due to enter orbit round the planet on 21 November 2026, the date ESA gives (read 9 October 2026). That day Mercury stands 19.6° from the Sun in the morning sky.
Sets the map's clock to 21 November 2026, 12:00 UT and flies to Mercury.
The facts
- Date
- 21 November 2026
- Mercury that day
- 19.6° from the Sun, morning sky
- Moon that day
- 87 percent lit
Where to look from your place
Choose a city to see where Mercury is in your sky that day.
What happens
BepiColombo is two orbiters flown together: ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mio. After six flybys of Mercury it enters orbit on the date above, and the two orbiters separate on 9 and 10 December 2026 (both dates are ESA's). The insertion happens at Mercury, so there is nothing to see from the ground. The map shows Mercury where it really is on that day; the spacecraft's own path in orbit is not drawn.
Sources
- ESA, Latest updates: BepiColombo's arrival at Mercury (orbit insertion 21 November 2026; the two orbiters separate on 9 and 10 December), read 9 October 2026
- JPL Horizons, the header of object -121 (orbit insertion in November 2026), read 21 September 2026
Measured or computed? The date is ESA's, read on the day given; a spacecraft's date can move, and this page is rebuilt from the registry when it does. The planet's position is computed.