Astronomical Events Information | 2016 | January
The Moon Passing Close to Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn
Let's get up early to see the Moon and planets!
Many planets can be seen in the sky before sunrise.
Venus, shining with a brightness of -4 magnitude low in the south-eastern sky stands out the most. Saturn can be seen close to Venus. In addition, luminous red Mars can be seen in the southern sky; and in the south-western sky Jupiter can be seen with a brightness of -2 magnitude.
From January 1 to 7, we can watch the Moon pass close by these planets. Please get up early so you can see this medley of bright planets and the Moon.
Reference: Ephemeris Computation Office
You can look up the rising and setting times for the Sun and the Moon, and the phases of the Moon in the “Koyomi Station” of the NAOJ Ephemeris Computation Office.
You can find the appearance of the Moon and planets as seen from a typical city under “Sky Viewer.”