The Grand Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

If you’ve been reading this newsletter or following our Facebook page in 2020, you’re aware that the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn have been drawing closer, approaching their “Grand Conjunction,” an alignment that only occurs every 20 years.  (Check out our archive of previous issues to learn more.) The time is quickly approaching so keep your eyes on this pair… Continue reading

THIS WEEK! Moon and Three Planets

July,2018 is an excellent month to observe the visible outer planets. The waxing gibbous Moon aligns with bright Jupiter on the evening of Friday, July 20. After that, the Moon draws closest to the planet Saturn on the evening of Tuesday, July 24. Keep an eye on the Moon from night to night as it draws near Mars on the… Continue reading

Father’s Day Conjunctions

The bright red planet MARS has been sharing the constellation Scorpius with the planet SATURN in 2016. These two make a pretty sight in the southern sky in the current season, as they move about through this conspicuous constellation. The scene always gets more interesting when the Moon wanders by, as it does each month. But June’s show is only… Continue reading

Planetary Conjunction – Venus and Saturn

The first big event in Saturn’s fun year will be a VERY CLOSE conjunction with Venus on the morning of Saturday, January 9.  If you are able to spot these two planets when the Moon was nearby during the week, you should be able to spot them again on Saturday morning when they draw closest.  Saturn is the little “speck”… Continue reading

Lunar Conjunction – Venus and Saturn

The fun begins in 2016 with the morning conjunction of the waning crescent Moon with the bright planet Venus this week, on the morning of Thursday, January 7, before sunrise.  But as a special added bonus, Venus is currently lining up with the planet Saturn, which recently emerged from the sunrise, after being invisibly hidden on the opposite side of… Continue reading

2016: A Year of Lunar and Planetary Conjunctions

Friends, 2015 was a very interesting year for conjunctions of the Moon and planets.  Long-time readers of this newsletter and other experienced sky observers understand that the classical planets are among the brightest objects in the sky, and are brighter that the actual fixed stars. The planet Venus is blazingly bright, the third brightest object in the sky, exceeded in… Continue reading

Lunar Conjunction with Saturn

THE MOON PASSES THE PLANET SATURN! It’s that time again! Once again, the Moon lines up with the planet SATURN on the evening of Friday, September 18! Look to the southwest to see the bright “star” very close to the waxing Moon! Even a cheap dimestore telescope is sufficient to reveal the famous RINGS of Saturn! You can get a… Continue reading

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