Venus, Mars and the Moon after Sunset
After the Sun sets, look in the southwestern sky for bright Venus and for the fainter, reddish Mars above it. The two planets will edge closer toward each other as the month goes on.
On January 2 and 3, 2017 – watch for the moon to sweep past the bright planets Venus and Mars.
The moon and Venus are the brightest and second-brightest orbs of nighttime, respectively. Simply look for the waxing crescent moon. That nearby dazzling “star” is Venus. Mars is a short hop above tonight’s moon and Venus, along a line leading up from the sunset point.
EarthSky
Clips. images credit: ESO, ESA/HUBBLE & NASA
