It's been one exciting year for folks who like to gaze into the night sky, and we've still got a few more months to go before the end of 2024. To close out August, we'll have a planet parade, featuring six planets, and a meteor shower. This week, the moon has been hanging out with not one, but three different planets on three different days.
The three planets -- Jupiter, Mars and Mercury -- have been in conjunction with the moon during the last week of August. A conjunction is an astronomy term that describes when two planets or celestial bodies are close together in the night sky. Jupiter went first, followed by Mars and now finally Mercury. It'll be the second time this month that skygazers have been able to see Jupiter, Mars and the moon together in the night sky.
When can I see Mercury next to the moon?
If you missed seeing Jupiter and Mars cozying up to the moon this week, you can check the night skies early on Sunday, Sept. 1. Mercury and the moon will be together in the sky for a couple of hours before sunrise.
Mercury should rise around 6 a.m. local time and be right next to the moon. The moon will be nearly a new moon, so there'll be only a sliver visible -- that's good news because Mercury will be the hardest of the three planets to see with the naked eye, and a dimmer moon helps with that endeavor.
The two won't be quite as close as Saturn and the moon were earlier this month, but they'll still be pretty close. It also follows the moon sitting close to Jupiter on Tuesday and Mars on Wednesday.
Will I need a telescope to see the planets close to the moon?
Technically, it'll be bright enough to spot Mercury with the naked eye. We think having binoculars or a telescope may help out. Mercury isn't the brightest planet in the night sky, especially just before sunrise, so we've seen conflicting reports about whether it'll be visible. We recommend having something to assist you, just in case.
If you need some 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 can help as well.