Tonight the Moon will be close to Mars. The pair will be obvious at sunset, having risen mid-afternoon. Look for the bright planet just 3° north of the Moon. Just a month after opposition the planet is still quite bright, shining at magnitude -0.9 and notably orange in color. The star Spica is about the same magnitude and visible 15° east of the Moon.
Tag: conjunction
The Moon and Jupiter
This evening the Moon and Jupiter will be close. The two will be visible in the sky throughout the day becoming a striking pair as the sky grows dark. The Moon will be 23% illuminated and about 7° from the bright planet. Tomorrow night the pair will still be close, about 9.5° apart.
Mercury at Superior Conjunction
Today Mercury passes through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from the Earth. The planet will appear in the sunset in ten days or so, reaching maximum elongation on May 24th.
The Moon and Venus
Tomorrow morning, April 25th, will see a brilliant Venus paired with a crescent Moon. Look for the pair to rise about 03:41HST to be 30° above the horizon at sunrise. A 15% illuminated Moon will be a nice match for Venus shining brilliantly at -4.1 magnitude. Separation will be about 4°.
The following morning, April 26th, will see the Moon much closer to the horizon, over 11° west of the planet.
Venus and Neptune
Over the next few days Venus will swing quite close to Neptune. Today the pair is separated by 2°41′. This will decrease to 49′ on the 11th and remain close at 51′ on the 12th.
The pair is quite a mismatch… Neptune is a mere 7.9 magnitude while Venus is a brilliant -4.2, over 60,000 times brighter. The 4.8 magnitude star σAqr will be 1.5° southwest of the two, the only nearby object that can be confused for the planet.
Next month, on May 15th, Venus will pass about 1° from to Uranus for a similar oddball conjunction.
The Moon and Jupiter
Tonight the Moon and Jupiter will be close. The Moon will rise first, at 10:56HST, most of an hour ahead of Jupiter, placing the two quite high in the sky at sunset. The Moon will be 39% illuminated and about 10° from the bright planet. Tomorrow night the pair will be much closer, about 6.5° apart.
The Moon and Venus
Tomorrow morning, March 26th, will see a brilliant Venus paired with a crescent Moon. Look for the pair to rise about 03:48HST to be 32° above the horizon at sunrise. An 21% illuminated Moon will be a nice match for Venus shining brilliantly at -4.3 magnitude. Separation will be about 9°.
The following morning, March 27th, will see the pair even closer with the Moon 6° below Venus. Observant sky-watchers will note Mercury another 18° closer to the eastern horizon and the rising Sun.
The Moon and Jupiter
Tonight the Moon and Jupiter will be close. The Moon will rise first, at 13:04HST, about ten minutes ahead of Jupiter, placing the two well up in the eastern sky by sunset. The Moon will be quite large, 65% illuminated and about 6° from the bright planet. Tomorrow night the pair will still be seen together, about 11° apart.
With Jupiter this close to the Moon it is an excellent time to see Jupiter in the daytime sky. Look 6° northeast of the Moon for a bright pinpoint of light. 6° is 12 times the size of the Moon seen in the sky, north will be to the left seen as the pair rises above the eastern horizon.
The Moon and Venus
The following morning, February 25th, will see the Moon 7° below Venus. Observant sky-watchers will note Mercury another 16° closer to the eastern horizon and the rising Sun.
Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
Today the planet Mercury passes through inferior conjunction, passing between the Sun and the Earth. In a week or so the planet will again be visible in the dawn sky, climbing higher each day. Maximum elongation will occur March 13th.