Sky Guy Viewing ALERT 7-5-14 Mars & Moon; Two Space Rocks

Hey Space Placers!

Get outdoor tonight right after it gets dark to see the Moon and Mars really close together.

If you are in Hawaii or Latin America you will see the Moon occult (cover) the Red Planet.

For those of you who want to see the two largest bodies in the asteroid belt, Ceres and Vesta, they are very close to one another tonight. You will need binoculars or a telescope to see them in the SW right after it gets dark.

Use the star chart and the guidance in the article to try your hand at seeing them.  Remember that NASA's Dawn spacecraft is headed towards Ceres after a hugely successful 14 month study of Vesta. While we can't see the spacecraft it is in this area of the sky and closing in on Ceres.

Sky & Telescope Star Chart

I will be trying to get a pic of all of these events and will share with you any successful results.

Good Luck and clear skies!

Sky Guy in VA