A very thin Moon will rendezvous with Mercury this evening. The pair will separated by about 8° and at the same elevation, over 20° at sunset. The Moon will be a very thin crescent, only 7% illuminated. A little over 5° north of Mercury will be Pollux, with Castor a bit further north, both stars about a magnitude dimmer than the planet which is currently about zero magnitude.
Tag: conjunction
The Moon, Venus and Jupiter
A nice trio will grace the dawn tomorrow, the morning of June 17th. Three bright objects will be visible just before sunrise. A brilliant Venus will be 14° above the horizon at sunrise. Above Venus will be a very thin crescent Moon, only 4% illuminated, will be 4° above Venus. About 8° above Venus will be Jupiter, shining brightly at -2.0 magnitude. Thus Jupiter will be the first to rise, at 04:02HST. Sunrise will occur about 05:43, leaving plenty of time to enjoy this bright conjunction.
The Moon and Jupiter
This evening will see a razor thin Moon just above the planet Jupiter, low in the sunset. The planet will be about 5° below a 3% illuminated Moon. The Moon itself will be only 19° from the Sun at sunset, about 18:42HST. It should be a dramatic scene with the pair immersed in the colors of sunset.
Venus and Jupiter
A reminder that tonight will see the two brightest planets in our sky just 3° apart. The two have been close for several days now, the closest approach will be this evening. The bright pairing will be visible as soon as the sky begins to darken, setting around 21:46HST. Venus will be the brighter of the pair at -4.3 magnitude, compared to Jupiter at -2.1 magnitude.
The Moon and Mars
This evening will see the Moon pass by Mars. The two will be about 12° apart tonight and about the same tomorrow night. As the red planet passed through opposition on the 3rd it is still quite bright at -1.2 magnitude, a nice match for a nearly full Moon.
The Moon and Mars
Tonight a nearly full Moon will rise together with the planet Mars. The pair will rise about 20:28 and will be about 9° apart.
Mars is approaching opposition, as the Earth draws closer to the red planet it is getting larger and brighter in our sky. It is now over 12 arc-seconds in diameter and shining at -0.8 magnitude. Opposition will occur March 3rd.
Mercury at Superior Conjunction
Today Mercury passes through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from the Earth. It will appear in the sunset later in the month, reaching maximum elongation on March 4th.
The Moon and Jupiter
Tonight will see a brilliant Jupiter near the Moon. The pair will be separated by about 5.5° high in the evening sky. Jupiter will shine brightly at -2.4 magnitude, a nice match for a 41% illuminated Moon.
The Moon and Venus
The Moon and Venus were quite close last night, about 8° with the Moon below the brilliant Venus. Tonight the Moon will be above Venus, about 9° away.
The Moon and Venus
This evening a nice crescent Moon will join Venus in the dusky sky. The pair will be reasonably close, about 8° apart. Venus is currently shining very brightly at about -4.1 magnitude, contrasting nicely with a 9% illuminated Moon. The two will still be close tomorrow, about 9° apart with the Moon 15% illuminated.