2021, May 30 – 2021, June 2: Morning Moon Passes Planets

Astronomy, Sky Watching
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May 30, 2021 – June 2, 2021:  The gibbous moon passes bright Jupiter and Saturn before sunrise each morning.  May 30, the moon is the lower right of Saturn.  May 31, the moon is to the lower left of Saturn.  On June 1 and June 2, the lunar orb is near Jupiter.

2021, May 30 – June 2: The gibbous moon passes morning planets Jupiter and Saturn.
Chart Caption – 2021, May 30 – June 2: The gibbous moon passes morning planets Jupiter and Saturn.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

The bright gibbous moon passes bright Jupiter and Saturn before sunrise for four mornings.

About an hour before sunrise, step outside and look southward.  The bright moon is low in the sky.  The two morning planets are nearby.  They resemble bright stars in the sky. 

Jupiter is the brightest star in the morning sky.  Saturn is dimmer than Jupiter, Arcturus, and Vega.  Note that the star Fomalhaut is near the horizon, below Jupiter

Jupiter is slowly moving eastward in Aquarius.  Saturn is about 18° to the right (west) of Jupiter.  The Ringed Wonder is retrograding in Capricornus.

Here’s what to look for:

May 30:  Saturn is nearly one-third of the way up in the south-southeast.  The gibbous moon, 80% illuminated – over 10° to the lower right of Saturn.

May 31: The moon (70%) is nearly 25° up in the south-southeast, 6.0° to the lower left of Saturn. 

Chart Caption – 2021, June 1: The moon is to the lower right of bright Jupiter before sunrise.

June 1:The lunar orb (60%) is nearly 24° up in the southeast. Bright Jupiter is 5.3° to the moon’s upper left.

Chart Caption – 2021, June 2: This morning, the moon is 12.6° to the lower left of Jupiter. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 18.2°.

June 2: The moon (49%) is over 22° above the southeastern horizon and 12.6° to the lower left of bright Jupiter. 

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