Moon to join Mars, Jupiter's 'celestial parade': How to watch?
What's the story
A breathtaking celestial event will take place tonight. The waxing gibbous Moon will be joining Mars and Jupiter in the night sky.
If the weather is good, you can see all three bodies in the southwestern sky post sunset.
The alignment will be especially visible from mid-latitudes in the United States.
Alignment
Mars and Moon will be in Gemini constellation
Tonight, Mars will be closest to the Moon, separated by just two degrees. This means you can easily spot both the celestial bodies. The duo will be sitting in the Gemini constellation, aka the Twins. To see them, look high in the sky toward southwest.
Tips
How to identify these celestial bodies?
The Moon will be easily recognizable with its 60% illumination, while Mars will look like a reddish-orange orb sitting right next to it.
Jupiter, meanwhile, will be further below the pair and shall be seen shining between the horns of Taurus, the Bull.
For those with quality telescopes, this event presents a perfect opportunity for good views of these celestial objects.
Close approach
Moon and Mars to share same right ascension
Tonight's event is even more special because the Moon and Mars will share the same right ascension, which is the celestial equivalent of longitude. Their proximity will allow observers to use them as markers for finding other stars in the sky, like Castor and Pollux.