The moon, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible in the night sky in a NASA graphic. The image is from NASA/JPL-Caltech.
The moon is taking a tour of some of the brighter planets in the night sky this week and will shine near Saturn tonight.
The waxing crescent moon will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere as it passes the ringed planet Saturn at dusk.
Venus and Jupiter are shining at their best this week, but Saturn will appear faint. All three planets will be visible in the evening sky at an angle of 45 degrees. The ecliptic plane of the solar system is seen from our position on Earth.
Want to see a comet? Here are telescope and binoculars suggestions.
The December sky should be easy to spot because Jupiter and Venus are the two most visible stars.
The waxing moon cruises past each of the planets as it climbs up in the sky. The Earth's companion visited Venus and will pass Jupiter between Thursday and Friday.
If you want a clearer view, you may want to use a telescope or binoculars. Our guides can help you find the right telescope or binoculars. If you want to take photos of the planets and moon, we have guides for the best cameras andlenses to use, as well as how to photograph the moon with a camera.
Venus will disappear below the horizon on January 9 as Jupiter, Saturn and Venus will be sliding down the sky towards the setting sun. The'morning star' will be visible to early risers in the predawn sky in late January.
The planet crosses the line between the sun and Earth. Earth and the sun can't pass between them because of Jupiter and Saturn's larger orbits. They will disappear in early 2022, when they move to the far side of the sun.
Astronomers call the planets' conjunction in February and March a superior conjunction because they will be most directly behind the sun. They will reappear in the pre-dawn sky after that.
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