2021, January 8: Mercury Joins Jupiter and Saturn

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2021: January 8: Jupiter and Saturn are low in the southwest after sunset. Jupiter is 2.0° to the upper left of Saturn. Mercury is 2.4° to the lower left of Saturn.

January 8, 2021:  Speedy planet Mercury joins Jupiter and Saturn low in the south-southwest after sunset.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:38 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.

Find a clear horizon toward the southwestern sky.  Thirty minutes after sunset. locate bright Jupiter low in the sky through a binocular.  Saturn is dimmer and 2.0° to the lower right of Jupiter.  With a brightness between that of Jupiter and Saturn, find Mercury 2.4° to the lower left of Saturn.

This observation has a narrow window of time because Jupiter sets 75 minutes after sunset.  Mercury sets only 50 minutes after sunset.

Read more about the planets during January.

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