2023: The evening sky has a parade of bright planets, featuring Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars. Venus passes Saturn and Jupiter after sunset, but it does not reach Mars.
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Watching the Sun, Moon and Planets
2023: The evening sky has a parade of bright planets, featuring Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars. Venus passes Saturn and Jupiter after sunset, but it does not reach Mars.
Read moreSeptember 18, 2022: The thick crescent moon and Mars are in the southeastern sky before sunrise. Daylight slips quickly as the equinox approaches.
Read moreAugust 25, 2022: The thin crescent moon is near Venus this morning before daybreak. Venus is joined by Mars and Jupiter in an arc across the morning sky. After sunset, Jupiter and Saturn are in the east.
Read moreDecember 19, 20, and 21, 2021: The bright moon leading up to the winter solstice appears in the western sky before sunrise in front of Gemini.
Read moreSeptember 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.
Read moreAugust 29, 2021: Before sunrise, the gibbous moon appears near the Pleiades star cluster.
Read moreJune 1 – June 7, 2021: Evening Star Venus shines in the western sky after sunset. Mars is over 20° to the upper left of Venus during this week. Venus cuts the gap to Mars during the month. Use a binocular to watch Venus pass a star cluster and Mars move eastward in the Pollux region.
Read moreApril 30, 2021: Evening Star Venus and Mercury are low in the west-northwest after sunset. Venus is beginning its evening appearance and Mercury is enroute to its best evening appearance of the year. After night falls, Mars is in the west in Gemini. Through a binocular, Mars is visible near the star cluster Messier 35.
Read moreApril 23, 2021: Evening Star Venus and Mercury are entering the evening sky. They are found very low in the west-northwest after sunset. The bright moon is in the southeastern sky during the early evening. Mars is moving toward the star cluster Messier 35.
Read moreApril 22, 2021: Brilliant Evening Star Venus is making its first appearance in the western sky after sunset. Look just above the horizon at 20 minutes after sunset. The bright, gibbous moon is in Leo. Mars approaches the star cluster Messier 35 in a darker sky.
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