It’s been an exciting year for night-watchers, and we still have a few months to go until the end of 2024. To close out August, we’ll have a six-planet parade and a meteor shower. For those looking for something different to do this week, you can also check out the Moon interacting with not one, but three different planets on three different days.
The three planets, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury, will be in conjunction with the Moon in the last week of August. A conjunction is a astronomy term which describes when two planets or celestial bodies are close together in the night sky. Jupiter goes first, followed by Mars and then Mercury last. This is the second time this month that stargazers have seen Jupiter, Mars and the moon together in the night sky.
When can I see Jupiter, Mars and Mercury next to the Moon?
Jupiter will snuggle up to the moon on the morning of August 27. The two won’t be as close together as Saturn and the moon were earlier this month, but they’ll still be quite close. Jupiter should be rising in the eastern sky around 1:30 a.m. local time, regardless of where you are in the U.S. After that, it should be fairly easy to spot with the naked eye. Mars will also be nearby, giving you a chance to see two planets with the moon, though Jupiter will be much closer.
A day later, on the morning of August 28, Mars and Jupiter will switch places, with the red planet being closer to the moon. Like Jupiter, both the moon and Mars should rise in the eastern U.S. sky around 1:30 a.m. local time, where they will be visible all night long. Jupiter will also still be nearby, so if you missed Jupiter the night before, you’ll have another chance.
Finally, Mercury and the Moon will appear together in the sky a few hours before sunrise on September 1st. Mercury should rise around 6 a.m. local time and will be right next to the Moon. The Moon will be close to a new Moon, so only a sliver of the Moon will be visible. That’s good news, though, because Mercury will be the most difficult of the three planets to see with the naked eye, and a dimmer Moon will help.
Do I need a telescope to see the planets close to the moon?
You won’t need magnifying equipment for Mars and Jupiter. They’ll be nice and bright in the sky, and since the moon will be a little less than half full, you should be able to find them easily in the night sky once you know where to look. Since both planets and the moon will be fairly close together for a few days, you should be able to find all three if you find one.
Mercury may be a different story. Technically it is bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. However, we think binoculars or a telescope may help. The moon is nearly new with only a tiny bit of light left and Mercury is not the brightest planet in the night sky, especially right before sunrise. So we have seen conflicting reports about whether it will be visible and recommend having something to help you out, just in case.
If you need help locating all the planets, Time and date has a simple night sky tool that can help, and apps like Sky Tonight on Android And iOS may also help.
