Let’s Enjoy the Sight of the Moon Close to Mars and Saturn

Mars, in the constellation Libra, can be seen in the southeastern to southern sky after sunset. In the constellation Ophiuchus, a little to the east of Mars, Saturn can also be seen. It is still a good time to observe Mars, which had its closest approach with the Earth on May 31. Mars shines brightly with a magnitude of -2.0 at the beginning of the month, immediately after the closest approach, and a magnitude of -1.4 at the end of the month. So it should stand out well, even in the moonlight.

From June 16 to 19, we can observe the spectacle of the Moon passing close to Mars and Saturn. As seen from Tokyo, the Moon approaches within about 6 degrees of Mars at 23:15 on June 17. The Moon continues past Mars, and at 9:58 on June 19 its angular separation from Saturn decreases to about 3 degrees. The moment of closest approach can’t be seen from Japan, but before dawn on the 19th, near the western horizon, we can see the Moon setting as it approaches Saturn.