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.
2021, February: A Stellar Sampler, Winter’s Stars
During the early evening hours of winter, the stars that shine from the southern sky are a sampler of the sky’s brightest stars.
2021, January 21: Morning Stars, Evening Bright Moon
January 21, 2021: Several bright stars are in the morning sky. This morning look for Antares in the east-southeast. Mercury – near its greatest elongation – is in the west-southwest after sunset. Mars and the moon are near each other. Planet Uranus is near Mars.
2021, January 20: Mercury, Bright Moon, Mars Conjunction
January 20, 2021: Mercury is low in the west-southwest after sunset. The bright moon is to the lower right of Mars, while the Red Planet passes planet Uranus.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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