If you’ve gotten used to having something to look at up in space during weekends this summer, don’t worry—there’s something to see tonight. Last weekend we were treated to NASA’s live coverage of the SpaceX crew returning to Earth. This weekend, we have to opportunity to see Mars and the moon align and rise together. Here’s what you need to know.
How to watch the moon and Mars align
As Forbes senior science contributor Jamie Carter explains, Mars is currently in the process of moving towards opposition in October. Opposition is the point during the planet’s orbit when it comes closest to Earth, meaning that it’s more visible than any other time of the year. But we don’t have to wait until October to get a decent look at the Red Planet: Carter says that it’s already getting “visibly bigger and brighter with every passing night.”
This also means that Mars is rising earlier each evening, and this weekend it will be in the sky before midnight, alongside a 65% illuminated waning gibbous moon. (That just means that 65% of the moon will be visible, compared with 100% during a full moon.) This is known as a “conjunction”—an event when two celestial bodies appear to pass close to one another.
Tonight’s conjunction will be most visible in North America around 4 a.m. EST (which yes, is technically Sunday morning). But if that’s after your bedtime, you can also try to catch a glimpse of the alignment at moonrise. First, figure out exactly what time moonrise is happening where you live, using this moon calculator. As an example, tonight’s moonrise in New York City will be at 10:50 p.m. If you look just north of the moon, you may be able to Mars at this time too. It’ll be the one brighter than any of the stars.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiUWh0dHBzOi8vbGlmZWhhY2tlci5jb20vaG93LXRvLXNlZS1tYXJzLWFuZC10aGUtbW9vbi1hbGlnbi10aGlzLXdlZWtlbmQtMTg0NDY1MTMwM9IBVWh0dHBzOi8vbGlmZWhhY2tlci5jb20vaG93LXRvLXNlZS1tYXJzLWFuZC10aGUtbW9vbi1hbGlnbi10aGlzLXdlZWtlbmQtMTg0NDY1MTMwMy9hbXA?oc=5
2020-08-08 13:00:00Z
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