On 24 October 2026, Venus will pass between Earth and the Sun, at a distance of about 40 million km from Earth. The exact moment is expected around 4 UTC, or approximately 6 am in Paris, before sunrise. This event is called an inferior conjunction, when Venus moves from the evening sky to the morning sky. Since 12 October, Venus has been setting before the Sun, and this passage marks its transition to the dawn sky. Venus will be at its brightest during the weeks before this event, with a magnitude of -4.8, which means it will appear extremely bright to observers. Unlike a solar transit, where a planet passes directly in front of the Sun and appears as a dark spot, Venus will not create such an effect this time. It will pass about 6.5° from the Sun, which is too far to appear as a black spot. This distance is roughly twelve times the apparent width of Venus, and it will be on the southern side of the Sun. The next transit of Venus will not occur until 10 and 11 December 2117. On 24 October, Venus will be nearly fully illuminated on its far side, appearing as a thin crescent from Earth. Its disk will be about 1 arc minute in diameter, much smaller than the Moon, and will be too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Observers with telescopes or cameras will need to take precautions when viewing it near the Sun. Venus orbits the Sun faster than Earth, completing its orbit in about 225 Earth days. This means it overtakes Earth approximately every 19.5 months. Since its last inferior conjunction on 23 March 2025, Venus has been appearing to move backward among the stars, an effect caused by the change in perspective as it overtakes Earth. This apparent retrograde motion will end on 14 November. Venus will continue its journey toward the morning sky, becoming visible in the early morning hours by early November. Its maximum brightness in the morning sky is expected on 27 November, reaching a magnitude of -4.9. As Venus moves into the morning sky, it will gradually become easier to spot. By mid-November, it will be visible above the eastern horizon before sunrise. The switch to winter time will occur on 25 October, the day after the inferior conjunction. The full Moon on 26 October, known as the Hunter's Moon, will be prominent in the night sky. Meanwhile, Saturn, which passed its opposition on 4 October, will remain bright and visible in the evening sky. Venus will return to the evening sky after 11 August 2027, when it will be in superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun. It will not return to the evening sky until after 22 March 2028. Between two inferior conjunctions, about 583.9 days pass, marking Venus's cycle between the morning and evening skies.