Watch the Moon approach Saturn during “conjunction” today

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Saturn will cozy up next to the Moon today (December 8) as the two move ever closer together in the cold night sky.

This event, known as a Connectionoccurs when two celestial objects have the same right ascension – the astronomical equivalent of longitude – and appear close to each other night sky viewed from earth. The crescent moon will pass just 18 arc minutes north of Saturn today and will officially reach conjunction at 3:55 a.m. EST (0855 GMT). according to In-the-Sky.org.

For viewers in the United States: the moon And Saturn will be visible in the evening sky starting at 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT), shortly after sunset. The pair will then reach their highest point in the night sky at 5:39 p.m. EST (2239 GMT) and will remain visible until about 10:04 p.m. EST (0304 GMT on December 9), when both the moon and planet will set below horizon. Therefore, the best time to observe the pair is two to three hours after sunset.

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During the approach and conjunction of the Moon and Saturn, the pair is in the Aquarius constellation. The Moon will shine at magnitude -11.9 and Saturn will have magnitude 0.8. (Negative numbers indicate brighter objects on astronomers’ size scale.) While the pair is visible to the naked eye or through binoculars, they are also close enough to fit within a’s field of view telescopethat reveals Saturn’s bright disk and Rings.

Related: The brightest planets in the night sky in December

Spectators in the Western Pacific, including areas in eastern Indonesia, Japan, eastern Philippines and northwestern Papua New Guinea, will also be treated to a so-called lunar spectacle cover of Saturn. This happens when the Moon appears to pass in front of another object (in this case Saturn) from the viewpoint Earth.

As a result, observers in these areas will see the moon partially obscure Saturn as it passes near the ringed planet during conjunction. The lunar occultation is not more visible due to the Moon’s proximity to Earth, resulting in slight variations in the Moon’s position in the sky and its visibility across the globe. according to In-the-Sky.org.

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During the conjunction of the Moon and Saturn Venus also shines brightly in the night sky, according to a recent one close approach of the moon Earlier this week, December 4th.

If you are looking for binoculars or a telescope to observe the moon and Saturn, our guides are for you best binoculars and the best telescopes have options that can help. Be sure to check out our guides for tips on how to do this Photograph the planets or Photograph the moon during this weekend’s conjunction.

Editor’s note: If you would like to take a good photo of the celestial pair during the conjunction and share it with Space.com readers, send your photos, comments, and name and location to spacephotos@space.com.