2021, August 18: Challenging View, Five Planets, Moon

August 18, 2021: During bright twilight, five planets and the moon are in the sky simultaneously after sunset.  This is a challenging observation made with the assistance of a binocular or spotting scope.  Mercury and Mars are at their closest in the west, with brilliant Venus to the upper left.  The moon, Saturn, and Jupiter are in the southeastern sky. The Mercury – Mars conjunction is the closest until 2032.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2021/05/28/2021-august-18-challenging-view-five-planets-moon/