August 18, 2021: Mercury passes Mars in a difficult-to-see conjunction during bright evening twilight. This is the closes conjunction of the two planets until 2032.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
With the appearance of the five bright planets during the early evening, Mercury passes Mars in a close conjunction. Use a binocular to look for the pair 25 minutes low in the western sky.
This is the closest visible meeting of the two planets until 2032. Other conjunctions of the two planets occurs, but many occur when the planets are in bright sunlight.
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