Get ready for the Jupiter and Mars conjunction before dawn – EarthSky

Were headed toward a Jupiter and Mars conjunction in August. Start watching the 2 planets now. For an especially dramatic scene, look during the early morning hours of July 30 and 31. The crescent moon joins Mars, Jupiter, the Pleiades, Aldebaran and the Hyades. Chart by John Jardine Goss/ EarthSky. Heading toward a Jupiter and Mars conjunction

Mars will sideswipe Jupiter in a conjunction, culminating on August 14, 2024. You can start watching the two neighboring planets now, as they pull together in the morning sky. By mid-July, Mars will enter the constellation Taurus, where Jupiter is currently hanging out.

But a bonus planetary conjunction occurs on July 15, when Mars is about half a degree from Uranus. Use binoculars to zero in on reddish Mars, then spot Uranus right beside it. You may be able to make it out as a bluish-green disk. The two are not far from the misty Pleiades star cluster.

Then Mars will pull away from Uranus and get a bit closer to the Pleiades as it makes a beeline toward Jupiter. Just to make it even more interesting, the crescent moon enters the scene on July 30.

On that date, bright Jupiter, red Mars, the bright star Aldebaran, the pretty Pleiades and the V-shaped Hyades star cluster will create quite a scene. Theyll all be in the eastern sky two hours before sunrise. Then, the next morning, the moon as an even thinner crescent hangs a bit farther northeast of the celestial grouping.

The closest pairing of this planetary duo comes on the morning of August 14. The bright gas giant Jupiter will get a visit from rocky red Mars. Then, the little planet appears less than the width of a full moon from Jupiter. Of course, thats just where they appear on our skys dome. In reality, the two remain more than 300 million miles (500 million km) apart.

Using just your unaided eyes, the bright, white light of Jupiter will contrast nicely with the somewhat dimmer and distinctly redder shine of Mars. In binoculars, Jupiters moons will add to the view. And itll be a great event for telescope owners and astrophotographers to capture both planets in one view and thoroughly examine these remarkably different worlds.

For a precise view from your location, visit Stellarium.

The following charts all come from Guy Ottewell. Youll find charts like these for 2024 in his Astronomical Calendar.

Heres a heliocentric view of the solar system from above for July and August when Mars and Jupiter will appear close together in the morning sky.

Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.

Bottom line: Start watching on July mornings for the upcoming Jupiter and Mars conjunction. The neighboring planets will get closer and closer in the constellation Taurus, culminating on August 14, 2024.

I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 20,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and has authored the celestial observing guides Exploring the Starry Realm and Carpe Lunam. John also writes a monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical Leagues Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observers Handbook.

Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science writer specializing in astronomy for more than two decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine, and she has made regular contributions to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club, among other outlets. Her childrens picture book, Solar System Forecast, was published in 2012. She has also written a young adult dystopian novel titled A Different Sky. When she is not reading or writing about astronomy and staring up at the stars, she enjoys traveling to the national parks, creating crossword puzzles, running, tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives in Wisconsin.

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Get ready for the Jupiter and Mars conjunction before dawn - EarthSky