These planetary “stars” ar…e brighter than any actual stars, including the nearby bright red star Antares in the constellation Scorpius. Antares has a reddish color similar to that of Mars. In fact, this Greek name literally means Anti-Ares, “the rival of Mars.”
Mars and Saturn will remain parked close to each other in Scorpius through the rest of the spring and summer of 2016. We’ll soon be writing a newsletter to explain why. For this reason, the Moon will pass Mars and Saturn on successive nights each month through the fall of this year.
These planets will enter the evening sky in a few months, joining Jupiter. When Venus and Mercury also swing into the evening sky, all five visible planets will share the sky together! This will make for a very interesting evening sight this August! Stay tuned to Classical Astronomy for more information!
