Mars appears in the west-northwestern sky near the star Aldebaran during May. On May 1, it is about 7 degrees to the upper right of Aldebaran. Look for it about an hour after sunset low in the sky.  You’ll need a good horizon to see it.  It is fading in brightness and begins to set during twilight on May 11 as it heads toward a July 26 solar conjunction.  It reappears in the morning sky in early autumn with a close conjunction with Venus on October 5.

For more information about the planets see:

• 2017 Evening Planets
• 2017 Morning Planets
• Venus as a Morning Star, 2017
• Chart and Image Collection
• Jupiter’s Year with Spica:  A Triple Conjunction

Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching

Tags: astronomy, Mars, Planets, sky watching