Weeks after Jupiter and Saturn appeared in the night sky during an incredibly rare “great conjunction,” the two planets are now joined by Mercury, forming a “triple conjunction” over the coming days. Now through Monday evening, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury will pass by the horizon and be visible low in the western sky sometime after twilight. Sunday will be the closest the three come to each other from our vantage point, around 7:00 p.m. local time.
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“From Friday evening to Monday evening, the planet Mercury will appear to pass first by Saturn and then by Jupiter as it shifts away from the horizon, visible each evening low in the west-southwest and setting before evening twilight ends,” NASA says on its sky-watching webpage.
See Mercury with the two #brightplanets Jupiter and Saturn in evening twilight. Mars is the only bright planet out after darkness falls. And dazzling Venus — edging closer to the sunrise each day — is the sole morning planet. That’s what’s up! https://t.co/65bwxZz5a3 pic.twitter.com/21wc4tP9Ts
— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) January 9, 2021
The last time a similar situation happened with a solar trio was October 2015. After another planetary trio on February 13 with Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter, another triple conjunction won’t happen until April 2026 when Mercury, Mars, and Saturn meet in the night sky.
“To maximize your chances of catching these worlds, find an unobstructed horizon in the direction of sunset,” EarthSky says on its site. “All the planets of this planetary trio will follow the sun beneath the horizon by nightfall, so it’s imperative that you start your search no later than 45 minutes after sundown. Jupiter is about 2 1/2 times brighter than Mercury, and 10 times brighter than Saturn (which makes Mercury about 4 times brighter than Saturn).”
The three planets will form a triangle in the sky through Sunday night before Mercury moves to the south beginning Monday, effectively breaking the conjunction.
Cover photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images
