Moon and Saturn

[ilan]

Moon and Saturn close May 30 and 31
Bruce McClure in TONIGHT | May 30, 2018

From around the world on May 31, 2018, you can watch for the waning gibbous moon and planet Saturn to ascend in your eastern sky in the hours after sunset. In the Northern Hemisphere, watch for them in mid-to-late evening (say, 10 to 11 p.m. local time). In the Southern Hemisphere, they’ll be up earlier (7 to 8 p.m. local time).

The moon rose first on May 30, followed by Saturn. Then, on May 31, the moon and Saturn more closely rise in unison. Remember, these rising times assume an unobstructed horizon. If you have trees, mountains or whatnot blocking the sky, you’ll have to wait until later before seeing the moon and Saturn.

Just don’t mistake Jupiter for Saturn. It’s already up in the east at sunset, much brighter than the ringed planet.

And there’s an even brighter object in your western sky after sunset. It’s Venus, the brightest of all the planets. Jupiter will lead the moon and Saturn into the sky on each of these nights (May 30 and 31). Meanwhile, around the time Venus sets for the night, you can look in the opposite direction to view the moon and Saturn coming up below Jupiter.

In other words, in late May 2018 – as viewed from around the world – Venus sets in the northwest at roughly the same time that Saturn rises in the southeast. In fact, if you have an absolutely clear horizon, you might briefly see Saturn opposite Venus in the sky, just before Venus sets.

Saturn is rising earlier daily, while Venus is setting later daily. So – if you can’t see the two together in the sky now – by the second week or so in June 2018, there’s a good chance that you’ll see Saturn opposite Venus at nightfall.
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This would be a great time to start looking up if you aren't already. - ilan