Spot the moon near Jupiter on August 7 and 8

Moon near Jupiter on August 7 and 8

The last quarter moon will be near Jupiter on the mornings of August 7 and 8, 2023. The moon and planet are roughly two degrees (or four moon widths) apart throughout the night. The pair are in the constellation Aries the Ram.

When they first rise above the horizon depends on where you live. The moon with Jupiter hot on its heels will rise just before midnight on August 7 for higher northern latitudes. They rise after midnight on August 8 for locations farther south. And locations west of the international date line will see the pair closer together just after midnight on August 9. To find the precise time to watch the moon and Jupiter rise from your location, visit Stellarium-Web.org.

Take a closer look

You don’t need any magnification to see the pair, though it’s always nice to take a closer look in binoculars or a telescope. Plus, you can watch Taurus the Bull with its star clusters of the Pleiades and the Hyades follow them across the sky. The Pleiades is a fantastic target through binoculars.

Follow Jupiter after sunrise

The moon is at last quarter on August 8, which means it’s half lit as it’s halfway between full and new phase. A last quarter moon rises late at night and sets in the afternoon. Therefore, the moon and Jupiter will reach their highest point in the sky around the time of sunrise. That means, if you follow the moon from dawn until after sunrise, you may also be able to keep an eye on Jupiter as the sky lightens. It’s a good opportunity to spot Jupiter in a daytime sky. Let us know in the comments below how long you can keep Jupiter in sight as the sky brightens.

Bottom line: You can spot the moon near Jupiter overnight on August 8, 2023. The moon and the king of the planets will be about four moon widths apart.

For more sky events, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide.