If you thought the “Christmas star” was a big deal when it graced the sky in 2020, just wait til you hear what’s coming up this weekend. From this evening (Friday, January 8th) through Monday evening (January 10th) Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible in the night sky at the same time.
NASA says, “[…] 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.” Forbes reports the three planets will be in the same two degrees of the sky in the Capricorn constellation.
EarthSky.org says you can see the event by looking for Jupiter first, then spotting Saturn and Mercury—Jupiter will be the brightest of the three. The last time this triple conjunction occurred was in October 2015, and after this weekend the next time it will happen will be February 13th, 2021.
