Weekend Watch: Planets Align for the 4th of July
In the US, we are ready to celebrate July 4th The Independence day with BBQ, parade and firework shows throughout the cities later.
While the US enjoy the 4th of July fireworks the entire world can look up in the western skies after twilight to witness the red planet Mars and ringed planet Saturn converge just to the left of the bright star Regulus. The three lights make a pretty 1st-magnitude line in the heavens: sky map.
But that is just the beginning. On Saturday, July 5th, with weekend fireworks at fever pitch, a lovely crescent Moon joins the show. Saturn, Mars, and the Moon trace an even brighter line than the night before: sky map.
If you are lucky to have a small telescope. You’ll see Saturn’s rings, the little red disk of Mars, a grand sweep of lunar mountains and craters, and just maybe—flash!—a manmade incendiary. How often do you see fireworks through a telescope?
[Thanks NASA for the tip]
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