URANUS, Mars and the Moon will be making a pretty close approach tonight.
The trio should be visible with the naked eye later today.
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However, you may need a pair of binoculars just to be on the safe side.
The Moon, Mars and Uranus will appear in a vertical line.
They’ll be at their closest this Thursday but you may have spotted them earlier in the week.
The Moon and the planets will be just above the southwest horizon after sunset.
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Sunset in the UK is at around 16:30 this afternoon but it can take around 30 to 60 minutes for the sky to darken.
Sunset time in the US depends on where you’re located so it’s best to look up your exact time.
In and around Washington DC the Sun will be setting at around 17:17.
If there are clear skies you should easily be able to spot Mars shining brightly just above the Moon.
Uranus will be much fainter and below Mars.
Astronomers think Uranus will be around 150 times fainter than the Red Planet.
That’s why some binoculars would be very useful.
The event would be best viewed in an open space where the horizon isn’t obstructed by things like large buildings or trees.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and Uranus is the seventh furthest away.
Mars facts
Here’s what you need to know about the Red Planet…
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
- It is named after the Roman god of war
- The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
- Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
- Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
- It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
- So far, there has been 39 missions to Mars but only 16 of these have been successful
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Will you be watching the planets meet up tonight? Let us know in the comments…
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
