You won't see a full moon tonight. But during this waning gibbous moon phase, stargazers may be able to see Mars. Here's when and what time to watch.
People who enjoy looking up at the night sky may be surprised to see a bright dot accompanying the moon on Friday night.
Oct. 14's waning gibbous moon will be visible as the sun goes down around 6 p.m. Arizona time. A bright, reddish dot of Mars will be shining several finger widths to its lower right around 10 p.m. If you are looking up at the sky you should be able to see Mars by 3.6 degrees beneath the 73%-lit waning gibbous moon. For folks unfamiliar or who need a quick refresher on what "waning gibbous" means, it's when the moon is between a Full Moon and a Half Moon."Waning" means that the light on the moon is getting smaller."Gibbous" refers to the observable illuminated part of the moon.
Once the sun is rising at around 6:30 a.m. Oct. 15, the moon will be further and too far away to see. The red planet is brightening as it waxes until the biannual super bright “opposition” in early December. This means that Earth will be exactly between Mars and the Sun as we rotate around the sun faster. This will be at its closest to Earth for just over two years.
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