At civil dawn (approximately 40minutes before sunrise in the British Isles) on the mornings of 15 and 16April 2020, let the old crescent Moon be your guide to three naked-eye planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Both the red and the ringed planet lie in the constellation of Capricornus, while Jupiter lies in Sagittarius. This looping animation depicts the view very low to the horizon between southeast and south-southeast around 5:30amBST on the mornings in question. Note that the Moons apparent size is enlarged for clarity. Dabih, otherwise known as BetaCapricorni, is a third-magnitude multiple star. AN animation by Ade Ashford.If youre an early riser in the British Isles fortunate enough to experience clear skies at the start of civil twilight on 15 and 16April, why not venture out at 5:30amBST to see the waning crescent Moon guide you to not just one, but three naked-eye planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Typical 750 or 1050 binoculars will enable you to better appreciate these attractive conjunctions, while the smallest of telescopes also reveal some of Jupiters bright Galilean moons.

What to look for on 15April 2020 at5:30amBSTAt the onset of civil twilight some 40minutes before sunrise in the UK, the waning last quarter lunar crescent lies in Sagittarius just 8degrees slightly less than the span of a fist at arms length above the south-southeast horizon for an observer in the heart of the British Isles.AN graphic by Ade Ashford.At 5:30amBST on 15April, magnitude+0.6 Saturn lies 4degrees to the Moons upper left, while magnitude-2.2 Jupiter 13 times brighter than the ringed planet is 4degrees the upper right of the Moon. Whats more, this attractive celestial triumvirate comfortably fits within the field of view of typical 750 binoculars. Owners of small telescopes can also see Jovian moons Callisto, Europa and Ganymede at this time, but Io is transiting the face of its parent planet.

If your skies are particularly clear, can you glimpse third-magnitude star beta () Capricorni, better known as Dabih, some 5degrees (slightly more than a 1050 binocular field of view, but easily encompassed by 750 instruments) to the upper left of Saturn? If so, can you see that its a double star?

What to look out for on 16April 2020 at5:30amBSTThe almost 23-day-old Moon lies in the constellation of Capricornus at UK civil dawn, some 3degrees to the lower right of magnitude+0.6 planet Mars. The lunar crescent is just 5degrees high in the southeast, so can you glimpse the Red Planet and Moon in the same field of view of 1050 binoculars this morning?

Caution: never sweep with binoculars close to the horizon near sunrise lest you accidentally view the Sun with disastrous consequences for your eyesight. Consult our interactive online Almanac to find the precise time of sunrise for your location. (Clickhere for a users guide to the Almanac.)

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See the waning crescent Moon meet the dawn planets, 1516 April 2020 - Astronomy Now Online