October 2 – October 16, 2021: NASA is pausing operational commands with the spacecraft exploring Mars as the Red Planet nears its conjunction with the sun.
conjunction
2021, September 9: Rare Venus, Moon, Spica Spectacular
September 9, 2021: After this evening’s grouping, Evening Star Venus, the crescent moon, and Spica do not appear this close together until 2026. This is one of four groupings that fit into the same binocular field through 2036. For the fifth occasion during this evening apparition of Venus, the moon passes the brilliant Evening Star.
2021, September 7, 8: Mercury, Lunar Crescent
September 7 & 8, 2021: The crescent moon, emerging from bright sunlight after its New moon phase, appears near Mercury on these evenings. On September 8, use a binocular to find the crescent 5.0° to the upper right of the speedy planet.
2021, September 6: Evening Planets
September 6, 2021: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn shine in the evening sky. The moon is at its New moon phase at 7:52 p.m. CDT.
2021, September 5: Venus – Spica Conjunction
September 5, 2021: Venus passes Spica this evening in a widely-spaced conjunction.
2021, September 4: Moon’s Morning Tour
September 4, 2021: The moon’s star cluster tour continues this morning with the Beehive star cluster. In the evening sky, just one day before its conjunction with Spica, find the brilliant planet in the west-southwest after sunset.
2021, September 3: AM Crescent, Twins, PM Planets
September 3, 2021: Before sunrise, the crescent moon is in the eastern sky near the Gemini Twins. Three bright planets shine during evening hours.
2021, September 2: Venus on Final Approach to Spica, Morning Moon
September 2, 2021: Three bright planets are easily observed in the evening sky. In the western sky, Venus is approaching Spica for a wide conjunction in three evenings. Before sunrise, the crescent moon is in the eastern sky with Castor and Pollux.
2021, September 1: Morning Moon, Venus Targets Spica
September 1, 2021: Before sunrise, the crescent moon is near a star cluster that is visible. In the western evening sky, Venus targets Spica before their conjunction in four evenings.
2021, August 28: Morning Moon, Evening Planets
August 28, 2021: Before sunrise, the moon is high in the south. It is in Aries, approaching the Pleiades star cluster and Taurus. Three bright planets – Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – are easy to spot after sunset.