Space

Moon Meets Mars In Rare Conjunction Tonight

This March 2021 photo shows the conjunction between the crescent Moon and the planet Mars (on the right).
(Christophe Lehenaff )

This segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

Those of you lucky enough to have clear skies tonight are in for a treat, as the moon and Mars will fall into conjunction, providing an incredible sight in the night sky.

How To See It:

The conjunction should be visible around 10 p.m. local time tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 20). You’ll want to head outside to the darkest area you can find, and look east-northeast in the night sky. Mars will appear to the moon’s upper right, and the contrast between the red planet and the white waning gibbous moon should be striking.

While both bodies will be visible to the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope will illuminate all sorts of details you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see, so either is highly recommended.

One more thing:

What makes this particular conjunction especially neat is the brightness of Mars. The planet has been faint all year, but as the Earth has caught up to it, Mars has been steadily brighter in the night sky all month. This will keep happening until Jan. 16, 2025, when the Earth will pass between Mars and the sun (this is called “opposition”), bringing Mars as close and bright as it gets in our sky.

In fact, according to Space.com, Mars will shine at a brighter magnitude than most stars by the end of the year. So even if you have cloudy skies tonight, keep an eye out for the brightening, fascinating red planet.