Mars & the Moon Will Come Together for a Couple of Nights, Starting Tonight

They're getting ready for Halloween.

MArs and moon conjunction
VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Image
VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Image

Just days before we get a rare full moon on Halloween, Mars and the moon are going to have a close encounter in the night sky.

The nearly full moon will come close to bright red Mars for the second time in October on the nights of October 28 and 29, and to a lesser extent, the night of October 30. They'll be visible together until around 5 am local time.

All three nights, Mars will rise in the east and stay in the sky, moving westward, almost the entire night. On October 28, you'll find the moon sitting just southwest of Mars after sunset. The next night, it'll be to the southeast of the red planet. The two come closest together during daylight hours on October 29, per In the Sky, so the nights around it are when you're going to see the two celestial orbs closest together. They should be easy to locate because Mars is very bright and red right now. Also, the moon is, well, you're familiar with the moon. 

They'll be too far apart to be viewed simultaneously through most telescopes, but you should be able to see them together using binoculars and, of course, with the naked eye.

This month, Mars reached its closest approach to Earth for the year, shining so bright that it passed Jupiter to become the fourth brightest object in Earth's sky behind the sun, moon, and Venus. When Mars and the moon come together, however, we'll be just days from Jupiter reclaiming its place as the fourth brightest object in the sky.

The red planet's opposition earlier this month—when Earth sits directly between the sun and Mars—was the closest Mars will be to Earth during an opposition until September 2035. So, it's a great time to look for the glowing red planet in the night sky.

Ready to go stargazing?

Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in a stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners or easy stargazing road trips from big US cities

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow Dustin Nelson on Twitter.