Harvest Moon Meets Mars in Stunning Oct. 2 Conjunction
The waning gibbous moon will pass under the planet Mars on the night of Oct. 2-3. Observers in parts of the southern hemisphere will see the moon occult the Red Planet. Stellarium We're really in for a treat. While auroras can be iffy, conjunctions are a sure thing. Conjunctions occur when two celestial objects line up directly on top of each other along the same line of sight. Bright, close conjunctions are the most exciting to watch. On Friday, Oct. 2, the moon, just one day past full, will shine beneath the evening sky's brightest planet, Mars. What a magnetic pair they'll make! No matter where you live these two beacons will bust through the light pollution and capture your attention. The pair should be high enough in the eastern sky to see with ease around 9 p.m. local time. They'll be closest around 11 p.m. CDT (midnight Eastern, 10 p.m. Mountain, 9 p.m. Pacific) at just 1° apart, equal to two moon diameters. Since the moon and Mars are currently the two brighte