Moon & Mars Team Up for Wednesday Night Sky Show

by Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist

Date: 06 March 2012 Time: 04:55 PM ET

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This NASA sky map shows the locations of Mars and the moon in the eastern sky as they will appear on the night of March 7, 2012. CREDIT: NASA/JPL View full size image

Early Wednesday evening (March 7), a brilliant yellowish-orange "star" will be shining above and to the left of the moon, which will officially turn full later that night. But the light is not a star — it's the planet Mars.
The distance separating the two celestial objects will be equal to roughly 10 degrees. (Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures about 10 degrees; so on Wednesday the moon and Mars will appear separated by about "one fist.")

MORE: http://www.space.com/14805-moon-mars-skywatching-tips.html






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