Step outside when the sun sets this week for a nice pairing of Mars and Saturn. Then turn yourself around and watch bright Jupiter rising low in the southeast. You wont need a telescope to see these three planets. You just need good horizons, clear skies, and the ambition to step outside.
Here is a little feature I wrote for the JPL website explaining whats going on this week: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/scitech/display.cfm?ST_ID=2198 . I hope youll share it with your friends, neighbors and astronomy clubs. Most of you have been observing Saturn and Mars close in on one another over the past few weeks. Tonight they are really close in appearance. I hope you get a look!

Recently, Saturn Observation Campaign member Derek Breit asked me if I wanted some images of the two planets, and so I asked him to image the two planets as they drew closer to one another. Derek sent me 6 days of images on Monday. Then we took his images and created the composite shown in the feature article. Thanks Derek!

Jane

Jane Houston Jones
Senior Outreach Specialist, Cassini Program
JPL – 4800 Oak Grove Drive, MS 230-205
Pasadena, CA 91109
Phone – 818-393-6435
Fax – 818-393-4495
jane.h.jones@jpl.nasa.gov

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov