A nice conjunction of a crescent Moon, Mars, Saturn and the bright star Spica will grace the evening sky tonight. The quartet will be arranged in a rough square about 4° on side. The two planets and the star will all be about 1st magnitude, with the Moon showing about 25% illuminated.
Category: Sky Events
Sky events
New Moon
Mercury at Maximum Elongation
Today Mercury reaches maximum elongation, the furthest point it will reach from the Sun in the sky and the highest it will be above the sunrise for this morning apparition. The planet is easily visible as a bright, starlike object about 15° above the rising Sun as the twilight begins. Over the next couple weeks Mercury will slide back into the sunrise, heading for superior conjunction on September 10th.
A Thin Moon and Mercury
Tomorrow morning a thin Moon will join Mercury in the dawn. The 4.6% illuminated Moon will be a bit under 6° from the planet, with the planet closer to the sunrise. The pair will be over 15° above the horizon at sunrise.
Mars, Saturn and Spica
Mars will pass between Saturn and Spica this evening. Currently moving in retrograde, the red planet will be directly between the ringed planet and the star. All three will be close to 1st magnitude. Saturn and Spica are currently about 4.5° apart. Mars will be just under 2° from the star.
The trio will be close for a couple weeks. On the 21st a thin crescent Moon, 24% illuminated, will join to create a very nice quartet.
The Moon and Venus
Tomorrow morning, August 13th, the Moon and Venus will meetup for a nice conjunction. Separated by only 1°17′ the pair will be a nice match. The Moon will show about 16% illumination compared with Venus at -4.3 magnitude. A telescopic view of the planet will show that Venus is also at a partial phase, about 50% illuminated.
Viewers further north will be able to witness an occultation, Venus will slide behind the Moon during the middle of the day when high in the sky.
Jupiter will be about 22° west, higher in the sky. While Mercury is still visible just ahead of the rising Sun.
The Moon and Jupiter
Tomorrow morning, August 11th, will see the Moon quite close to Jupiter. The pair will be a mere 2° apart. A bright Jupiter at -2.2 magnitude will be a nice match for a 33% illuminated Moon.
An even brightener Venus will be located about 22° east of Jupiter, closer to the horizon. You could also look for Mercury, 28° east of Venus and 16° above the horizon at sunrise.
In two more days, on the morning of August 13th, the Moon will rendezvous with Venus, for a closer conjunction, only 1° away from the planet.
A Line of Planets in the Dawn
A line of bright planets will grace the dawn sky over the coming week. While Mercury has passed maximum elongation and is now headed back into the Sun’s glare, it is still 16° above the horizon at sunrise. Well above Mercury the brilliant Venus is hard to miss, 44° above the horizon at sunrise. Even higher in the sky is Jupiter, at about 67° elevation at sunrise.
Tomorrow morning will see a crescent Moon in the lineup, about 40% illuminated and above Jupiter. Over the next 7 days the Moon will work its way along the line, waning ever thinner as it goes. On the 11th the Moon will be under 2° above Jupiter, On the morning of the 13th the Moon will be very close to Venus, just over 1° away.
Mars, Saturn and Spica
Mars is fast approaching a rendezvous with both Saturn and Spica this week. Currently moving in retrograde, the red planet will pass between the ringed planet and the star. All three will be close to 1st magnitude. Saturn and Spica are currently about 4.5° apart. Mars will pass directly between the two on the 13th, just under 2° from the star.
The trio will be close for a couple weeks. On the 21st a thin crescent Moon, 24% illuminated, will join to create a very nice quartet.
Mercury in the Dawn
Mercury is beginning a morning apparition this week. Look directly above the sunrise for a starlike object shining at 3.2 magnitude. The planet will be over 10° from the Sun today, rising a little further each day until maximum elongation on August 16th.