Close Encounter of the Moon, Mars and Other Planets Will Be Happening This Weekend; When to Watch

Before the Sun rises on Saturday, January 29, there will be a cool close encounter of the worlds that is going to happen. Provided that the weather permits a clear view of the cosmic bodies, the Moon and Mars will hover close to each other in the sky. They will appear a little over two degrees apart.

But the Moon and Mars are not the only ones that will be part of the celestial encounter. Other planets, such as Venus, Mercury, and Saturn will also be seen in the predawn sky and will be seen clearly using binoculars.

(Photo : JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)
This picture taken late on July 27, 2018 shows Mars (bottom) and the moon during the total lunar eclipse, above the mountains in the Lebanese town of Tannourine in the mountains north of Beirut.

Moon and Other Planets Will Shine on Saturday's Predawn Sky

According to In-The-Sky.org, residents in New York City will see the close encounter of Mars and the Moon at 5:01 AM EST that will disappear from view when the sky starts to brighten at 6:48 AM EST.

Conjunctions such as these happen because the Sun, Moon, and other planets in the Solar System share a path across the sky known as the ecliptic or the plane of the Solar System. Humanity gets several chances each year to witness these celestial events when planets lined up in the sky or sometimes even eclipse each other, Space.com reported.

When the Moon and Mars appear close on the horizon, Venus can also be seen on the near left. Mercury will appear dim, while Saturn will shine bright at the further left. The planets will appear visible with the naked eye with Mars shining at a magnitude of 1.5, Venus at -4.3, and Saturn at 0.7 magnitudes.

To clearly see the planets on Saturday, make sure to go out at least 20 minutes before sunrise and look for an area where there is little light. A star chart could also help in locating the exact direction of the planets and use a red filter to preserve night vision. For those in the chiller regions, remember to bundle up for predawn viewing.

Binoculars and telescopes could also help in observing the conjunctions, although both the Moon and Mars will be too apart to be able to fit in one frame of the telescope view.

ALSO READ: Venus, Mars, Moon Conjunction: Will They 'Kiss' Before Parting This Week?

Visible Planets in February

Venus can be spotted easily during late January and early February 2022 near sunrise but o February 9, the second planet to the Sun will achieve its greatest brilliancy. EarthSky.org said that Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Earth would be in the same direction as the dawn begins to break on the early mornings of February 11 to 16.

Meanwhile, those living in the northern hemispheres will see Sirius and Canopus across the southern skies during winter evenings. Sirius will shine the brightest since it is one of the stars in the Orion's Belt constellation. On the other hand, Canopus will be best seen in the skies above Florida, Texas, or southern California. But on the farther south of the sky, the two will appear higher and look like twin almonds.

By February 27, a waning crescent moon will also take center stage as it will form a line with Mars and Venus in the east shortly before sunrise. From the Northern Hemisphere view, it will not be visible until February 28 unless the person viewing it is a professional sky observer. This celestial view is better seen from the Southern Hemisphere.