Moon, Saturn, Mars & Regulus

[Jim Colyer]

From the Wal-Mart parking lot in Lebanon, Tennessee, I used my binoculars to view an alignment of Saturn, Mars and Regulus near a four-day-old crescent moon. I noted the moon's terminator separating day and night and earthshine, that ghostly light reflected from Earth to the moon and back to Earth. This drama took place in the constellation Leo in the west after sunset. Saturn, pinkish Mars and 1st magnitude Regulus lined up to the right of the moon not unlike Orion's belt. I could almost see all three at once through my binoculars. This was the night of July 6, 2008.

Mars is moving closer to Saturn. Watch as Mars moves toward a July 10 conjunction with Saturn. Compare Mars' pinkish hue to Saturn's yellowish tint.

Saturn is brighter than Mars. The Sun will hide Saturn for two months before the planet reappears in the morning. Its rings will be even more edge-on in the fall.