2025, January 22:  Mars-Pollux Conjunction

January 22, 2025:  Mars passes Pollux after sundown, a Mars-Pollux conjunction.  This is the second of three conjunctions during this Martian appearance.

Mars in Pisces, October 22, 2020
2020, October 22: Rusty Mars – shining from the east – is 0.9° below 80 Piscium (80 Psc).

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:11 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:54 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Four Planets Nightly

Mars is part of a nightly four-planet display that begins after sunset with brilliant Venus in the southwest.  It passed dimmer Saturn four nights ago and it opens a gap to the Ringed Wonder.

Bright Saturn is over halfway up in the east-southeastern sky, retrograding in front of Taurus, near its brightest star Aldebaran.

Mars-Pollux Conjunction

Mars Show
Chart Caption – 2025, January 22: Mars passes 2.4° from Pollux.

An hour after sundown, Mars is over 20° above the east-northeast horizon. Distinctly red-orange, the planet is the brightest star in the region.

Mars retrogrades in front of Gemini, passing 2.4° to the lower right of Pollux, one of the Twins.

Mars Retrogrades

Mars at opposition
Chart Caption – September 19, 2024-May 17, 2025: The orbits of Earth and Mars are displayed as opposition occurs January 15, 2025. As Earth overtakes Mars, the Red Planet appears to pass bright stars in Gemini and retrograde.

Retrograde is an illusion as Earth passes a slower-moving and more distant planet.  As the planets revolve around the sun, they move eastward against the starry background.  As Earth over takes and passes between the planet and the sun, the line of sight from Earth to the planet shifts westward.  Mars then seems to reverse course and back up against the starfield.

Mars, 2024-2025
Chart Caption – 2024-2025: Mars reaches opposition as it retrogrades in front of Gemini.

This Mars-Pollux conjunction is the second of three conjunctions during this Martian appearance, known as a triple conjunction.  The first occurred on October 19th as Mars moved eastward.  The planet’s retrograde began on December 6th.  Mars passes the star for the second time tonight.  After retrograde ends on February 23rd and the Red Planet resumes its eastward march, the third conjunction occurs on March 31st.

During the night, Mars and Gemini appear farther westward from Earth’s rotation.  Tomorrow morning, it is low in the west-northwest.

Look for the Mars-Pollux conjunction tonight after sundown.

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