BRENT: A spectacular gathering of three bright planets and a lovely waning crescent moon will be the chief celestial attraction in the predawn sky this weekend, with the moon, Venus, Mars and Jupiter all making an appearance. It will, in fact, be possible for anyone with a clear and unobstructed view of the southeast sky to see this foursome in a single glance.
On Saturday (Nov. 7), three of these objects – Venus, Mars and the moon – will appear to crowd into a relatively small spot in the sky. The moon will be aligned with the dazzling Venus, what I would call the “nightlight of the early morning” and much dimmer Mars.
On Saturday morning, the moon will shine less than 2 degrees to the right of Venus (your closed fist held out at arm’s length covers 10 degrees of the night sky). The pumpkin-colored Mars, meanwhile, will shine above the brilliant moon and Venus. Mars will be shining with only 1/250th of the intensity of Venus. [Sky Maps for November 2015 Stargazing]
This weekend’s moon-and-planet sky show actually began early today (Nov. 6). Then, sky-gazers with clear weather had the chance to see brilliant Jupiter in the southeastern sky, sitting just to the left and slightly above the crescent moon.
