Bright Mars shines from Pisces in the west, while Morning Star Venus appears in the eastern sky before sunrise.
By Jeffrey L. Hunt
Bright Mars shines from the western sky this morning from the stars of Pisces. Now past its closest approach to Earth and its opposition with the sun, the planet shines in the sky nearly all night.
The Red Planet is nearing its opposition with Venus. After that date, Mars sets before Venus rises.
This morning Mars is 1.2° below dim 80 Piscium (80 Psc on the photo) and 3.1° to the lower left of Epsilon Piscium (ε Psc).
Mars is retrograding – moving westward compared to the background stars. This is an illusion from Earth passing and moving away from the planet. Mars resumes its eastward motion compared to the stars on November 13.
As morning twilight progresses, brilliant Venus rises higher in the east. It is stepping eastward in the stars of Virgo. It is 3.1° to the lower left of Beta Virginis (β Vir on the photo) and 4.6° to the upper right of Eta Virginis (η Vir).
See our summary about Venus during October 2020 and the feature article about Venus as a Morning Star.
Read more about the planets during October and November.
2021, March 14: Thin Evening Crescent, Mars in Taurus
March 14, 2021: On this first day of Daylight Saving Time, look for the crescent moon low in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset. Mars is high in the west-southwest as the sky darkens.
2021, March 14: Morning Planets, Jupiter, Saturn
March 14, 2021: Jupiter and Saturn are low in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Look for them about 45 minutes before sunrise.
2021, March 13: Mars, Star Clusters
March 13, 2021: Mars continues its eastward march through Taurus. It is between the Pleiades star cluster and the Hyades star cluster.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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