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Jupiter, Mars and Saturn line up Aug. 5

The moon and Jupiter will share the morning sky in Aug. 3, followed quickly by close encounters with Mars Aug. 4 and Mercury Aug. 5.
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The moon and Jupiter will share the morning sky in Aug. 3, followed quickly by close encounters with Mars Aug. 4 and Mercury Aug. 5. For this to happen, all three planets must be lined up at equal spacing on the ecliptic, making for another of those great photo opportunities, where four Solar System bodies are in the same part of the sky at once. It might be worthwhile getting up early just to see the spectacle.

Orion joins the crowd, too, rising just before Jupiter. Aug. 9, Venus is in the western evening sky with the moon, which passed new phase Aug. 6. Aug. 12, the bright star Spica will be within half a degree, occulted by the moon in the Eastern Hemisphere. Full moon is Aug. 24.

Mercury is just past greatest elongation in the eastern morning sky, well placed for early risers. Watch for the three planets and the moon as mentioned above.

Venus in the western evening sky hugs the horizon for Northern Hemisphere residents. The bright planet is always a welcome sight through the summer, posing as the Evening Star. Watch for the slender crescent moon close by Aug. 9.

Mars is in the eastern dawn sky between Jupiter and Mercury, part of the trio mentioned in the moon above. Pollux, one of the Gemini twins is within six degrees of Mars Aug. 19.

Jupiter is in the constellation Gemini along with Mars in the eastern morning twilight. The moon is four degrees away Aug. 3 and again Aug. 31.

Saturn is low in the southwest at sunset, setting in late evening. Be sure to give this a telescopic look, as the ringed planet never fails to please - hanging against the black cosmos, with a few of the brighter moons nearby. Aug. 11 has the moon nearby, while Spica gets ready for a close brush, and Venus closes up from the west.

Uranus comes up in the east in the late evening in the constellation Pisces, the fish.

Neptune rises ahead of Uranus in Aquarius, visible all night through a telescope.-

- James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and is now editor's assistant and a contributor to Observer's Handbook, production manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal and the society's national decretary. He was given the RASC Service Award at the 2012 general assembly in Edmonton.