Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with the moon Monday night. Here's how to see it.
By
Elizabeth Howell
Published Jun 8, 2020 11:01 PM EDT
For a spectacular night-sky sight you can enjoy while social distancing, look up late tonight (June 8) and early tomorrow morning to see Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with Earth's moon.
The waning, gibbous moon was in conjunction with Jupiter — meaning they shared the same celestial longitude — today at 1:21 p.m. EDT (1721 GMT). It will swing by Saturn just nine hours later, reaching conjunction with the ringed planet at 10:12 p.m. EDT (0212 GMT on Tuesday, June 9).
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency scientist James O'Donoghue used NASA data to show the planetary tango over 13 years.
The trio will rise into the evening sky just before midnight, and you can see them together all night long until they fade into the morning twilight. To find the three celestial bodies, turn to the south and look for the moon, which will guide you to the bright planets nearby. Jupiter will be to the west (right) of the moon, and Saturn will be centered above the two.
Jupiter, Saturn and the crescent moon will form a triangle in the night sky overnight on June 8-9, 2020. The trio will rise in the southeast shortly before midnight and fade from view when dawn breaks. This sky map shows their positions as seen from New York City at 1:30 a.m. local time on June 9. (Image credit: SkySafari app)
The Jupiter-moon conjunction will take place in the constellation Sagittarius. The moon will be at roughly magnitude -12.5, while Jupiter will be at about magnitude -2.6, according to In-The-Sky.org. The brightest stars visible with the naked eye are typically around magnitude 5 or 6, by comparison, so these bright objects should be easy to spot even in light-polluted areas.
If you're lucky enough to have a telescope, Jupiter and the moon will be too far apart to fit in a single field of view. But the pair will be visible in a pair of binoculars.
Click here to continue reading on SPACE.com.
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News / Astronomy
Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with the moon Monday night. Here's how to see it.
By Elizabeth Howell
Published Jun 8, 2020 11:01 PM EDT
Partner Content
For a spectacular night-sky sight you can enjoy while social distancing, look up late tonight (June 8) and early tomorrow morning to see Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with Earth's moon.
The waning, gibbous moon was in conjunction with Jupiter — meaning they shared the same celestial longitude — today at 1:21 p.m. EDT (1721 GMT). It will swing by Saturn just nine hours later, reaching conjunction with the ringed planet at 10:12 p.m. EDT (0212 GMT on Tuesday, June 9).
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency scientist James O'Donoghue used NASA data to show the planetary tango over 13 years.
The trio will rise into the evening sky just before midnight, and you can see them together all night long until they fade into the morning twilight. To find the three celestial bodies, turn to the south and look for the moon, which will guide you to the bright planets nearby. Jupiter will be to the west (right) of the moon, and Saturn will be centered above the two.
Jupiter, Saturn and the crescent moon will form a triangle in the night sky overnight on June 8-9, 2020. The trio will rise in the southeast shortly before midnight and fade from view when dawn breaks. This sky map shows their positions as seen from New York City at 1:30 a.m. local time on June 9. (Image credit: SkySafari app)
The Jupiter-moon conjunction will take place in the constellation Sagittarius. The moon will be at roughly magnitude -12.5, while Jupiter will be at about magnitude -2.6, according to In-The-Sky.org. The brightest stars visible with the naked eye are typically around magnitude 5 or 6, by comparison, so these bright objects should be easy to spot even in light-polluted areas.
If you're lucky enough to have a telescope, Jupiter and the moon will be too far apart to fit in a single field of view. But the pair will be visible in a pair of binoculars.
Click here to continue reading on SPACE.com.
Report a Typo