Today's Image

A beautiful conjunction of Mars and Saturn

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
April 3, 2018
Saturn and Mars on the day of their conjunction – April 2, 2018 – via Steven A. Sweet in Toronto. Visit Steven’s Facebook page, Lunar101-Moon Book.
Dennis Chabot of Seattle caught Mars and Saturn on the morning of April 3, 2018. Notice the object near them marked M22. It’s a star cluster, visible in binoculars in a dark sky.
Saturn (left) and Mars are the 2 bright objects in this photo by Annie Lewis, taken April 2, 2018 – the morning of their conjunction – near Madrid, Spain. Saturn and Mars will remain in the same binocular field all week.
Victor C. Rogus in Arcadia, Florida, also caught the planets on the morning of April 2, 2018. At conjunction, they were just 1.3 degrees apart, about a finger’s width held at arm’s length.
Mark your calendar for the morning of April 7, 2018, when the waning moon will sweep past Mars and Saturn. From North America, you have a good chance of viewing all 3 worlds – the moon, Mars and Saturn – in a single binocular field. Read more.
Saturn and Mars above the Teapot on March 30, 2018, via Patricio Leon in Santiago, Chile. He wrote on March 30: “The planets are gathering towards their close encounter on Monday.”
Planets Saturn (left) and Mars over 3 different days in March 2018, as seen by Shobhit Tiwari in Kanpur, India. He wrote on March 30: “Getting closer day by day … “
Victor C. Rogus in Arcadia, Florida, caught Saturn (left) and Mars before dawn on the morning of March 30, 2018. He wrote they “… were glowing just 2 degrees apart, above the Sagittarius Teapot. A beautiful conjunction of the angry Red Planet, Mars and the ringed wonder, Saturn, as the sun rose.” Canon 80d camera with 50mm Carl Zeiss manual focus lens at f1,4 camera on tripod.
Posted 
April 3, 2018
 in 
Today's Image

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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