As the weekend draws to a close, the night sky will have one more gift for stargazers as Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon will rise together to form a triangle on Sunday night.
The astronomical encounter will take place one night after the ‘Buck Moon Eclipse’, but the moon will continue to appear nearly full as it rises with the two planets on Sunday night.
“Sunday night through Monday morning, July 5-6, 2020, the full moon and the planets Jupiter and Saturn will form a triangle,” NASA said. “The moon will reach its highest point [point] in the sky Monday night, with Jupiter to the right and Saturn above. “
The trio will first appear in the southeastern sky around 10 p.m. local time, and will rise higher in the southern sky as the night progresses, unless cloudy conditions interfere.
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| Jupiter, Saturn, and the nearly full moon will soar into the southeastern sky on Sunday night around 10 p.m. local time. (POT) |
People who stay up late on Sunday night, or wake up before dawn on Monday, will also be able to see Mars glowing in the eastern sky after 1 a.m. local time.
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All three are bright enough to see with the naked eye and will outperform all the stars in that area of the sky. However, the trio will group together so tightly that they may appear in the same field of view for some telescopes and binoculars.
This will be a great opportunity for people to get acquainted with a new telescope, as the moon and planets will be easy to find in the sky and will be interesting targets when enlarged.
With just a basic telescope or binoculars, viewers will be able to see Jupiter’s four largest moons and countless craters on the surface of our moon. A more powerful telescope or a pair of binoculars can even allow people to see Saturn’s rings.
Jupiter and Saturn will continue to get brighter in the middle of the month with the two planets making their closest approach to Earth in mid-July.
This is the best time of the year to see the planets before they gradually dim over the rest of 2020.
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