July 1 – July 7, 2021, the waning crescent appears in the eastern sky. Early in the viewing period, the moon is among the dim stars of Pisces. As the week progresses, the moon wanes and moves farther eastward, appearing near Taurus.
Taurus
2021, May 29: Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars
May 29, 2021: Three planets are in the evening sky. Brilliant Venus is low in the west-northwest after sunset. Speedy Mercury is leaving the sky after its best evening performance of the year. It is below Venus. Mars is higher in the western sky, in Gemini to the lower left of Pollux.
2021, May 28: Close Venus – Mercury Conjunction
May 28, 2021: This evening Mercury passes brilliant Venus for the second of three conjunctions during this evening apparition of the second planet from the sun. Use a binocular about 45 minutes after sunset to see the speedy planet 0.4° to the lower left of Venus. This is the closest visible conjunction until 2033.
2021, May 24: Planets in a Plane
May 24, 2021: Morning planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast before sunrise. In the evening sky, brilliant Evening Star Venus, Mercury, and Mars line up along the solar system’s plane. The bright moon is in the southeast near Zubenelgenubi, “the southern claw.”
2021, May 3: Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars
May 3, 2021: Three bright planets are visible after sunset. Brilliant Venus is low in the west-northwest, with Mercury to its upper left. As the sky darkens further a binocular reveals that speedy Mercury is to the lower left of the Pleiades star cluster. Mars is visible in a darker sky in Gemini, below Castor and Pollux.
2021, May 2: Brilliant Evening Star Venus, Mercury, Mars
May 2, 2021: Five bright planets are visible during a 24-hour interval. This evening, brilliant Evening Star Venus is in the west-northwest during bright twilight. Mercury is above Venus. Mercury is 3.4° to the lower left of the Pleaides star cluster. Mars is higher in the west when night falls.
2021, April 20: Venus, Gibbous Moon, Mars, Evening Wonders
April 20, 2021: Venus is very low in the west-northwest after sunset. The gibbous moon is in Cancer, between Regulus and Pollux. Mars, above the horns of Taurus, approaches the star cluster Messier 35.
2021, April 19: Moon, Twins, Mars, Evening Watch
April 19, 2021: Venus begins to appear in the west after sunset. The moon lines up with Pollux and Castor, while Mars is above Bull’s horns in the western evening sky.
2021, April 17: Evening, Crescent Moon, Mars, Star Cluster
April 17, 2021: During the early evening, the crescent moon is above Mars in the western sky. Use a binocular to spot the star cluster M35 near the moon. Mars is above the Bull’s horns.
2021, April 16: Evening Crescent Moon, Mars, Taurus
April 16, 2021: Mars and the crescent moon are in the west after sunset. Taurus is the starry drop for the planet and the lunar slice. Use a binocular to see Mars and the crescent moon in the same field of view.