Astrology

Mars and Jupiter appear close together in November's morning sky.

Mars and Jupiter appear close together before sunrise on November 15 and 16, the Los Angeles Times reports, as meteor showers and a supermoon also feature in November's sky. The pairing is a planetary conjunction, when the planets appear near each other from Earth's perspective.

Bruce Betts, chief scientist at the Planetary Society, told the Times that Jupiter and Mars meet this way only once every few years. Jupiter appears bright white, while Mars has a red-orange color. The planets are visible in the eastern sky between 4 and 6 a.m., Betts said.

Published

Mars and Jupiter share the morning sky#

According to NASA Science, the gap between the planets on both mornings is about 1.2 degrees, slightly wider than two full moons placed side by side. Jupiter is the brighter of the two points of light, with reddish Mars nearby in the southeastern sky.

The apparent closeness does not mean the planets are near each other in space. The astronomy site When the Curves Line Up puts the distance between them at nearly 370 million miles on November 15. It says the gap in their apparent positions is slightly smaller at the conjunction the following morning.

Mercury and Venus also appear in the morning sky during the mid-November display, according to A Little Spark of Joy's account of MARCA. According to the guide, Earth's perspective makes the planets appear grouped, though they are not arranged in a straight line in space.

Taurids and Leonids precede the supermoon#

The Southern Taurids peaked around November 5, and the Northern Taurids peak around November 12, NASA Science says. Both showers take their names from Taurus, the constellation in the direction from which their meteors appear to originate. Each produces around five meteors an hour under ideal conditions, according to NASA.

Some Taurid meteors are bright enough to be called fireballs, meaning they outshine Venus in the night sky, the Los Angeles Times reports. Tim Thompson, science director at Mt. Wilson Observatory, told the paper that some are known as "Halloween fireballs."

The Leonids have their best viewing opportunities before dawn on November 17 and 18, after the moon sets, NASA Science says. The shower could yield around 15 meteors an hour when conditions are ideal, but NASA notes that most observers see fewer.

According to NASA Science, November 24 brings a full supermoon, the first of three supermoons occurring consecutively. A supermoon is a full or new moon that nearly coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth in its orbit, according to Wikipedia.

Discover more