May 13 morning: The moon near Saturn
Shortly before sunrise on May 13, the waning crescent moon will appear near Saturn. They will rise about two hours before sunrise. Also, look for fainter Mars, which will appear below the moon and Saturn.
May 14 morning: The moon near Mars and Saturn
Shortly before sunrise on May 14, the thin waning crescent moon will float between Mars and Saturn. Saturn will appear to the right of the moon, while Mars will appear below it.
May 15 morning: The moon near Mars
Shortly before sunrise on May 15, in the bright morning twilight, the slender waning crescent moon will appear near Mars. They will rise about an hour before sunrise.
May 18 evening: The moon near Venus
On the early evening of May 18, the thin waxing crescent moon will appear near Venus. They will set about three hours after sunset. Also, look for bright Jupiter, which will appear above the moon and Venus.
Through a telescope, Venus will appear 83% illuminated and in its waning gibbous phase.
May 20 evening: The moon near Jupiter
On the evening of May 20, the waxing crescent moon will appear near bright Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini—Pollux and Castor. They will set around midnight. Also, look for the brightest planet, Venus, which will appear below the moon and Jupiter.
Conjunction of the moon and a planet
A conjunction of the moon and a planet is an astronomical event in which the moon and a planet appear close together in the sky.
In rare cases, during a conjunction, the moon passes directly in front of a planet, creating a lunar occultation. In our dedicated article, you will find details about upcoming lunar occultations of planets.
The planets are actually far apart in space compared to the moon. However, they appear close together in the sky because the moon and the planets follow a similar path across the sky, known as the ecliptic.
How often does a conjunction of the moon and a planet occur?
A conjunction of the moon and a planet occurs roughly once a month.
The moon takes about 27.322 days to orbit Earth relative to the background stars. However, during that time, a planet moves slightly along the ecliptic from its previous position.
For fast-moving planets like Mercury and Venus, the moon takes about 30 days to meet the planet in the sky.
For slow-moving planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the moon takes a little over 27.322 days to meet the planet in the sky.
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