If you look up into the night sky this evening, you may notice some particularly bright lights above you.
Before you worry about an impending alien invasion, thankfully there’s a simple explanation – they’re Jupiter and Saturn!
The two planets will be visible alongside the moon tonight, and in the early hours of tomorrow.
NASA explained: “The bright planet Jupiter and a fainter Saturn will appear near the waxing gibbous moon on the night of Friday, August 28 into the early morning hours on Saturday.”
Jupiter’s closest approach will be at 02:35 BST tomorrow morning.
(Image: © SkySafari app)
Meanwhile, Saturn will appear next to the moon on Saturday evening.
While they should be visible with the naked eye (look for the two bright ‘stars’ near the moon), a telescope could be helpful if you have access to one.
NASA advised: “With clear skies and a small telescope you should be able to see Jupiter’s four bright moons, Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Io, shifting positions noticeably in the course of an evening.
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“For Saturn, you should be able to see the brightly illuminated rings as well as the motions of Saturn’s moons, particularly the largest moon, Titan.”
If you miss Jupiter and Saturn tonight, thankfully there’s another astronomical event to look forward to next week.
A Full Corn Moon is set to take to the skies on Wednesday night!
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