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31st Jan 2017

Make sure to look at the sky tonight to see Mars, Venus and the Moon in a rare sight

Alan Loughnane

You won’t need a telescope tonight to see Mars, Venus and the Moon put on a sight to be hold.

We urge you to look at the sky this evening/tonight, as the Moon, Venus and Mars come together for a rare celestial treat called a conjunction.

This evening, as Venus continues its journey around this side of the sun, it will be at its closest point to the moon with Mars also visible to the upper left hand side of the planet.

The trio will form a  bright and tight-knot triangle this evening, although they will still obviously be millions of kilometres apart in space.

If conditions are clear this evening, you should be able to see the spectacle at its best between sunset and 9pm.

Derek Keif, an astronomer at the HR MacMillian Space Centre told potential planet gazers that Venus will be a glowing object that has a red and yellow tinge to it. Venus will shine slightly brighter than Mars, as it is closer to earth right now and has a reflective atmosphere that redirects light from the sun.

Mars, meanwhile, will have an orange and red tinge to it. It’s also important to note, if the object you’re looking at twinkles, you’re probably not looking at a planet.

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