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Stargazing: The Moon Joins Mars and Antares
Over the weekend, the waxing crescent moon traveled east through Virgo and Libra. It passed the ring world Saturn on Saturday night and will meet up with two “red stars” in Scorpius tonight.
Look for the celestial trio of the moon, Mars and Antares lined straight up above the southwestern horizon at 8 tonight. The first “red star” that the 5-day-old waxing crescent moon will encounter is actually the planet Mars. The waxing crescent will sit about 5 degrees above the Red Planet and 8 degrees above Antares, the Scorpion’s bright red star.
Antares is a supergiant red star located in the heart of Scorpius. If the bloated red star Antares replaced the sun in the center of our solar system, its orbit would extend beyond Mars. Antares is Greek for “rival of Mars.” It is the 16th brightest star in the sky and is currently a little fainter than Mars. However, the Red Planet has faded dramatically since going into opposition on April 8.
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