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

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

CONJUNCTIONS OF THE MOON WITH JUPITER AND MARS!

Keep your eye on the sky before sunrise on the morning of Friday, December 4, as the waning crescent Moon lines up with the bright planet Jupiter in the constellation Leo! Over the weekend, the waning Moon moves into the constellation Virgo and passes by the red planet Mars! But the weekend dance of the planets is just a prelude… Continue reading

MORNING LUNAR CONJUNCTIONS OF NOVEMBER

MORNING LUNAR CONJUNCTIONS OF NOVEMBER!!!! The waning crescent Moon will swing back into the scene in the first week of November. By then, Venus will be below Mars. Look for the Moon to line up with Jupiter on the morning of Friday, November 6, and with Venus and Mars on Saturday, November 7. KEEP WATCHING CLASSICAL ASTRONOMY TO LEARN ABOUT… Continue reading

Morning Conjunction of Venus and Mars

MORNING CONJUNCTIONS CONTINUE!!!! After its maximum elongation, Venus begins to move toward the east, and will steadily draw closer to the sunrise through June, 2016. The morning dance of the planets of October continues into November when Venus lines up with Mars on the morning of Tuesday, November 3. Keep an eye on Mars into 2016, as it reaches opposition… Continue reading

Morning Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter

MORNING PLANETARY CONJUNCTIONS: On the morning of Sunday, October 25, Venus and Jupiter are lined up in a conjunction, and Mars is still sharing the sky with these brighter objects. On this day, Venus is at its greatest western elongation, and is therefore at its maximum distance from the rising Sun, so these two will be pretty high above the… Continue reading

Morning Conjunction of Mars and Jupiter

  MORNING PLANETARY CONJUNCTION: Keep an eye on the morning planets in October, to observe their magnificent planetary dance. Mars and Jupiter line up in a conjunction on the morning of Saturday, October 17. But if you are up and around each morning before then, notice the subtle changes in the positions of these bodies from day to day. Start… Continue reading

MORNING PLANETS IN OCTOBER

MORNING PLANETS IN OCTOBER: On mornings in October, 2015, you can see the planets Venus and Jupiter in the eastern sky, among the stars of Leo. Look to the east in the morning as the famous constellations near Orion are hanging high above the southern horizon. Also notice that the brightest star Sirius is in the sky, along with Jupiter… Continue reading

LUNAR CONJUNCTIONS THIS WEEK!!!

LUNAR CONJUNCTIONS THIS WEEK!!! On the morning of Thursday, October 8, the Moon will be closest to the bright planet Venus, and will form a line with all the other morning planets, as shown. On the morning of Friday, October 9, the Moon will be in conjunction with Mars, though it will also be closest to Jupiter, as seen from… Continue reading

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