October 13-15, 2021: The waxing gibbous moon passes the bright evening planets, Saturn and Jupiter. Look for them in the south-southeast after sunset.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
The waxing gibbous moon passes Saturn and Jupiter on the evenings of October 13-15. Step outside about an hour after sunset.
The moon is near the planets on these three evenings. Jupiter is the bright “star” in the south-southeast after sunset. Saturn is dimmer, over 15° to the upper right of the Jovian Giant.
On October 13, the moon is 60% illuminated, bright enough to cast shadows on the ground. Saturn is 6.8° to the upper left of the lunar orb.
On the evening of October 14, the waxing moon is 60% illuminated and brighter in the sky than last night. The moon is nearly equally-spaced below the two planets. Saturn is 9.8° to the moon’s upper right, while Jupiter is 8.3° to the upper left.
The moon on October 15 is nearly 80% illuminated. It is about 20° above the east-southeast horizon. Jupiter is 8.0° to the upper right of the brightening moon.
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