At evening dusk on May 12-15, 2021, watch for the young and slender waxing crescent moon in the western twilight sky. On these evenings, the moon will sweep by three bright evening planets. It’ll go by Venus – the brightest planet closest to the horizon – on May 12. It’ll go by Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, the following day. Then, on or near May 15, the moon will pass the red planet Mars. Find these worlds – look down at Earth below your feet – and you’ll be seeing the whole inner solar system.
Although the chart is especially designed for mid-northern latitudes in North America, people from around the world can use the moon on these evenings as a guide to this line-up of planets. We’ll all see the planets in the west after sunset. We’ll all see the moon start out as a slim crescent, which waxes larger each evening. Want a more precise view of the moon and planets from your location? Try Stellarium.
Year s 1st supermoon on April 26-27 | Tonight earthsky.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from earthsky.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This evening - March 1, 2021 - look eastward before going to bed and you just might catch the bright waning gibbous moon and the star Spica over the horizon.
You might – or might not – catch the young whisker-thin moon below the planets Jupiter and Saturn on December 15, 2020. You’ll surely catch the moon and these glorious planets in the west after sunset on December 16, 17 and 18. Giant Jupiter and golden, ringed Saturn are now nearing their December 21 great conjunction. They will be a dazzling and exceedingly rare sight near the young moon in our evening sky. Don’t miss them!
On December 15, the frail waxing crescent moon will be sitting low in the sky, close to the sunset point on the horizon. Shortly thereafter – most likely before nightfall – the moon will be following the sun beneath the horizon. On December 15, you might need binoculars to tease out the lunar crescent from the glow of evening twilight. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Saturn will be shining above the moon – above the sunset point – both bright and very close together!