Moon to Meet Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury: How to See It

It’s been an exciting year for night sky watchers, and we still have a few months to go until the end of the year. To close out August, we’ll be hosting a planet parade featuring six planets and a meteor shower. Those looking for something else to do this week can also experience the Moon with not one, but three different planets on three separate days.

All three planets – Jupiter, Mars and Mercury – will be in conjunction with the Moon during the last week of August. A conjunction is an astronomical term that describes when two planets or celestial bodies are close together in the night sky. Jupiter will be in first, followed by Mars and finally Mercury. This will be the second time this month that amateur astronomers will be able to see Jupiter, Mars and the Moon together in the night sky.

When can I see Jupiter, Mars and Mercury next to the Moon?

Jupiter will make its closest approach to the moon on the morning of August 27. The two won’t be as close as Saturn and the moon were earlier this month, but they’ll still be pretty close. Jupiter should rise around 1:30 a.m. local time in the eastern sky, regardless of your location in the United States. After that, it should be fairly easy to spot with the naked eye. Mars will also be nearby, allowing you to see two planets with the moon, although Jupiter will be much closer.

A day later, on the morning of August 28, Mars and Jupiter will switch places, and the Red Planet will be closest to the Moon. Just like Jupiter, the Moon and Mars are expected to rise around 1:30 a.m. local time in the eastern U.S. sky, where they will be visible all night. Jupiter will also still be nearby, so if you didn’t spot it the night before, you’ll have another chance.

Finally, on September 1, Mercury and the Moon will be together in the sky for a few hours before sunrise. Mercury is expected to rise around 6 a.m. local time, and will be right next to the Moon. The Moon will be close to a new Moon, so only a small portion of the Moon will be visible. This is good news, though, because Mercury will be the hardest of the three planets to see with the naked eye, and a dimmer Moon will make that easier.

Will I need a telescope to see planets near the Moon?

For Mars and Jupiter, you won’t need any magnification devices. They’ll be nice and bright in the sky, and since the Moon will be a little less than half full, you should be able to spot them easily in the night sky once you know where to look. Since the two planets and the Moon will be fairly close together for a few days, you should be able to find all three once you find one.

Mercury may be a different story. Technically, it will be bright enough to see with the naked eye. However, we think binoculars or a telescope might be helpful. The moon will be nearly new with only a faint glow remaining, and Mercury is not the brightest planet in the night sky, especially right before sunrise. So we’ve seen conflicting reports on its visibility and recommend having something to back you up, just in case.

If you need help locating all the planets, Time and Date has a simple night sky tool that can help, and apps like Sky Tonight on Android and iOS can help, too.