During early evening hours of September 25, the moon appears near Saturn in the southern sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
During the evening hours of September 25, the moon appears 3.7° to the lower left of Saturn. The gibbous moon is over 70% illuminated.
Jupiter is 7.6° to the lower right of Saturn.
As seen from the sun, Jupiter passes Saturn in a heliocentric conjunction on November 2. This is a prelude to the Great Conjunction on December 21, when Jupiter passes very closely to Saturn. While the planetary pair appears close in the sky, they are hundreds of millions of miles apart in space.
A Great Conjunction occurs every 19.6 years. The last one occurred in 2000. The next Jupiter – Saturn conjunction occurs October 31, 2040, when the two planets rise into the eastern morning sky. The gap is 1.1°. At this year’s conjunction, the two planets appear ten times closer.
While other conjunctions have occurred, this year’s conjunction is the closest Jupiter – Saturn conjunction since 1623. That year’s conjunction occurred after the invention of the telescope and during very bright evening twilight. Read our article about whether it was observed.
Read more about the planets during September and October.
2021, June 26 – June 30: Bright Moon, Morning Planets
morning sky before sunrise. Observe that the moon is in a different spot each morning, farther east toward the impending sunrise.
2021, June 15: Moon, Sickle of Leo
June 15, 2021: The moon is with the Sickle of Leo this evening. Step outside about an hour after sunset to find the crescent moon that is about 30% illuminated over one-third of the way up in the west.
2021, July 12: Venus – Mars Conjunction
July 12, 2021: Venus – Mars conjunction evening. Evening Star Venus passes 0.5° to the upper right of the Red Planet. The crescent moon is nearby. This is the first of three conjunctions of Venus and Mars – a triple conjunction.
2021, July 1, Saturn – Mars Opposition
July 1, 2021: Saturn and Mars are in opposite directions in the sky. Mars sets as Saturn rises. In about a week, the two planets are visible in the sky at the same time. This event signals that the planet parade is starting to reorganize. During July, three other planet – planet oppositions occur, leading up to a challenging view of the five bright planets during mid-August.
2021, June 13: Moon Passes Mars
June 13, 2021: After sunset, look for the thin crescent moon near Mars. The lunar sliver is also to the upper left of the star Pollux.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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