On the night of October 2-3, 2020, the moon appears near Mars.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Mars appears with the moon on two nights during October 2020, the night of October 2-3 and October 29.
On the evening of October 2-3, look for the moon about two hours after sunset in the eastern sky. The bright moon is nearly 16 days past its new phase and 98% illuminated.
Planet is is the bright star that is 1.7° to the upper left of the lunar orb.
As the night unfolds, the pair seems to move westward as Earth rotates. They appear in the southern sky about 2 a.m. CDT on October 3. As the new day progresses, the pair is in the western sky.
About an hour before sunrise, they are about one-third of the way up in the sky in the west-southwest. At this time, the moon is 2.8° to the upper left of the Red Planet.
During the night, the moon moves slowly eastward as Mars inches westward compared to its starfield.
Read more about the planets during October.
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