Stargazing: Saturn, Moon and Mars Meet Up Last August 31
Last August 31, an hour after sunset, skywatchers would get a chance to see the three cosmic bodies, Mars, Saturn and Moon, together if the weather permits, reported Space.com.
The moon would appear as a wide crescent face. Mars and Saturn would be seen as two bright stars, close to the moon with Saturn on the right, shining with a yellowish-white tint and Mars on the left with a yellow-orange color.
Mars will be seen at a distance of 92.7 million kilometers from the Earth in April, in which is the closest it gets for the year 2014. Mars' brightness will rival the shine of the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. In comparison to its brightness in April, its current shine is only one-seventh of it. Mars is ranked among the top ten brightest stars.
Saturn, which is known for its amazing ring system, will join the moon. The trio can be seen with the help of a telescope and the moon as a benchmark. Pointing the telescope to the right of the moon will show the ringed planet. Saturn will be at half a degree and one lunar diameter above the Moon, being illuminated by 33 per cent.
To view the trio, an eyepiece with magnifying power of at least 30 will be required. The best views will be obtained with a 3-inch telescope using magnifying power as 75, 6-inch with power as150 and 10-inch with power as 250.
Mars will be seen just as a tiny dot of yellow-orange light as it was seen more than a few traces of surface features last in July. Mars will be at 4.5 degrees to the south-east of the moon with a magnitude of +0.64.
The sight of the line separating the dark and light in the moon will provide a view of the shadowed craters and mountains.
At 7.48 BST, the sun will set from London and will reach six degree below the horizon by 8.30 pm. During that time, Saturn and the Moon will be 12 degrees above the horizon of south west and Mars about ten degrees up, giving stargazers a fantastic view through their binoculars.