Category: Lunar-Planetary Conjunctions
JUPITER & SATURN APPROACH
MOON, JUPITER AND SATURN
The Moon is approaching the planets Jupiter and Saturn, which will be having a great conjunction in 2020. On the evening of July 4, look for the Moon to fall into a mostly straight line with these bright planets. Be sure to look around midnight EDT to see the Moon at a maximum phases of penumbral eclipse. The next night,… Continue reading
EARLYBIRD SPECIAL
EARLYBIRD SPECIAL!!! Are you up before sunrise? Then be sure to check out the Old Moon this week as it passes near three bright planets — Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. Continue reading
MOON AND MARS
Mars has had a great year! After reaching blazing brilliance this summer, the Red Planet has still been a conspicuous object through the fall, hanging high at the meridian after sunset. The waxing crescent Moon will pass close to Mars in conjunction on Friday evening, December 14. This pair will be close the “circlet” asterism in Pisces and the “water… Continue reading
MOON AND MARS
TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! The Moon and Mars are in CONJUNCTION this evening, Friday, July 27! That means they line up together in the sky. This is also the same night as the OPPOSITION of Mars, when the Red Planet is opposite the Sun, so that Earth, Mars and the Sun line up in a straight line. For this reason,… Continue reading
MOON AND SATURN
On the evening of Tuesday, July 24, after night falls, look for the waxing gibbous Moon in conjunction with the planet SATURN. This pair of celestial bodies will be very near the “dome” of the “teapot” asterism of the constellation Sagittarius. This point in the sky is very close to the position of the Sun on the winter solstice. So… 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
THIS WEEKEND! The Moon Passes Mercury and Venus
THE WAXING CRESCENT MOON returns to the evening sky this weekend! A new lunar month begins with the first reappearance of the Moon in western twilight after the sunset. Look for the Moon aligned with the elusive planet MERCURY after sunset on the evening of Saturday, July 14. Mercury is a tough object to spot under good circumstances since it… Continue reading
Planets of 2018
Most of the time, this newsletter provides information for observing the classical planets. For whatever reason, these planets are largely unknown in our generation. There is a misconception that the planets can only be seen through a telescope and are invisible with the unaided eye. This is completely untrue. The fact is, the planets are among the brightest “stars” that… Continue reading
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