BepiColombo is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to study Mercury, the smallest and least explored planet in our solar system. The mission consists of two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) built by the ESA, and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) built by JAXA. The spacecraft were launched on October 20, 2018, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. The primary scientific objectives of the mission are to study Mercury's magnetic field, its composition, the geology of its surface, and its interaction with the solar wind. The mission will also investigate the planet's exosphere and study its geological history. BepiColombo is expected to arrive at Mercury in December 2025, after several gravity assist flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of BepiColombo in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
BepiColombo
BepiColombo is in the constellation of Cancer, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of BepiColombo in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of BepiColombo against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of BepiColombo from Massenzatico, Italy (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/Rome):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of BepiColombo from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of BepiColombo from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of BepiColombo from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between October 21, 2018 and April 5, 2027, the closest approach of BepiColombo to Earth happened on Friday 10 April 2020 at a distance of 0.000582 Astronomical Units, or 87,050 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of BepiColombo relative to the other major objects in the Solar System.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of BepiColombo computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 08h 36m 21s | +17° 25’ 33” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 06 2025 | 08h 37m 52s | +17° 05’ 14” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 07 2025 | 08h 39m 04s | +16° 45’ 48” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 08 2025 | 08h 39m 58s | +16° 27’ 21” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 09 2025 | 08h 40m 30s | +16° 10’ 02” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 10 2025 | 08h 40m 44s | +15° 53’ 56” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 11 2025 | 08h 40m 38s | +15° 39’ 11” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 12 2025 | 08h 40m 12s | +15° 25’ 54” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 13 2025 | 08h 39m 27s | +15° 14’ 10” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 14 2025 | 08h 38m 22s | +15° 04’ 06” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 15 2025 | 08h 36m 57s | +14° 55’ 45” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 16 2025 | 08h 35m 15s | +14° 49’ 14” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 17 2025 | 08h 33m 16s | +14° 44’ 34” | N.A. | Cancer |
| Jul 18 2025 | 08h 31m 01s | +14° 41’ 49” | N.A. | Cancer |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- BepiColombo: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is BepiColombo?: Key information on where to find BepiColombo in the sky.
- Distance of BepiColombo from Earth: Find out how far BepiColombo is from Earth right now.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of BepiColombo from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of BepiColombo's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of BepiColombo's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days BepiColombo's computed ephemeris.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of BepiColombo with respect to the major Solar System objects.