Bright “Star” Next to Moon: What Is Next to the Moon Tonight?

Oct 30, 2026

~20 min

A bright planet near the Moon — what a beautiful sight, easily visible to the naked eye! Want to know if Venus or Jupiter is close to the Moon tonight? Use the free Sky Tonight app! Featuring an astronomical calendar, it can also identify any bright dot near the Moon in real time. Check out this article to learn about the upcoming Moon-planet conjunctions.

What’s next to the Moon tonight?

Bright dots near the Moon (October 26 – November 1, 2026) — **From October 26 to November 1, 2026**, the Moon visits the constellations **Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer**.
©Vito Technology, Inc.

From October 27 to 30, the Moon travels through Taurus, a constellation with several bright space objects. On the night of October 28–29, our natural satellite passes roughly 10–13° from Aldebaran (mag 0.9), the constellation’s brightest star. Around October 29, it appears much closer to Elnath (mag 1.7), the second-brightest star in Taurus, which marks the tip of the bull’s northern horn. Depending on your location, look on the night of October 28–29 or October 29–30, preferably after midnight.

The Moon then moves to Gemini. On the mornings of October 31 and November 1, look for Castor (mag 1.6) and Pollux (mag 1.2) near the Moon. The best morning to see the grouping will depend on your location. As the week ends, the Moon leaves Gemini and moves closer to the reddish planet Mars (mag 0.9).

Bright dots near the Moon (November 2–8, 2026) — **From November 2 to November 8, 2026**, the Moon visits the constellations **Cancer, Leo, and Virgo**. On November 4, it also briefly crosses the official border of the faint constellation Sextans as seen from some locations.
©Vito Technology, Inc.

On the mornings of November 2–4, the waning Moon moves past an arc formed by Mars (mag 0.8), Jupiter (mag −2.0), and Regulus (mag 1.4). The Moon passes Mars first, then Jupiter and Regulus. Look about 1–2 hours before sunrise; the exact time depends on your location.

The objects will climb higher before sunrise at mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Observers at mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere can also enjoy the view, although the objects will appear lower in the sky.

As the week progresses, the Moon’s crescent becomes thinner and appears closer to the Sun. On the morning of November 7, it passes near brilliant Venus (mag −4.6) and Spica (mag 1.0), the brightest star in Virgo. In Australia and New Zealand, the Moon appears closer to Venus on the morning of November 8, but stays lower above the horizon. The New Moon follows on November 8 or 9, depending on your time zone.

What do astronomers call the approach of the Moon to the planet?

In this article, you'll come across several types of celestial events. They all involve the relative positions of the Moon and celestial objects and occur close together in time. However, they differ in detail. Here is what each one means.

Closest approach (appulse)

Closest approach or appulse happens when two celestial objects have the smallest apparent distance as seen from the Earth. For the Moon and planets, appulse often takes place close to conjunction.

Conjunction

Conjunction occurs when two celestial objects have the same apparent right ascension or ecliptic longitude in the sky. In everyday language, the terms “conjunction” and “closest approach” are often used interchangeably. However, conjunction has a more technical meaning and does not necessarily occur with every appulse.

Moon-planet conjunctions occur frequently. Once every 27.3 days, our natural satellite passes through a narrow part of the sky centered on the ecliptic and encounters planets. Planetary conjunctions are less frequent; you can learn more about them in our separate article.

Occultation

Occultation takes place when a celestial body with a greater apparent diameter passes in front of a body with a smaller apparent diameter; for example, when the Moon passes in front of a star or planet. The occultation of the Sun by the Moon is called a solar eclipse. Each lunar occultation is only visible from some parts of the Earth. That's because the exact position of the Moon in the sky varies by up to 2° at different locations.

Observations

How to spot planets next to the Moon?

Here are some things to keep in mind for successful observations.

You may miss the exact time of conjunction or closest approach, but don't worry! Even before or after the exact moment of the event, the objects will stay relatively close together, and that's just as worth observing.
Depending on the angular distance between the objects, some events should be seen with a telescope and some with binoculars. In general, a good 10×50 binocular will give you a 6-7° field of view; for telescopes, this figure varies — it could be less than 1°. You can calculate the field of view of your optics yourself. And, of course, you can also observe an event with the naked eye.
When the Moon is close to its full phase, it outshines fainter objects, so the planets and stars near the Full Moon may appear not as bright as they usually do.
A bright object near the Moon can be a star or a planet. To know for sure which one you're seeing, use Sky Tonight: point your device at the object in question, and the app will tell you its name.

Jupiter and Venus (sometimes Mars and Saturn, too) are way brighter than most stars. You can tell the planets apart by their colors:

Mercury is gray or brownish;
Venus is pale yellow;
Mars is pale pink or bright red;
Jupiter is orange;
Saturn is gold.

To identify an object or find out when objects are closest together for your exact location, use the free stargazing tools — Sky Tonight or Star Walk 2.

Sky Tonight app

To identify an object in the sky with the help of Sky Tonight, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Sky Tonight and point your device at the sky or tap the big blue button. A live representation of what you see in the sky will appear on the screen, and the app will start to follow your movements.

Step 2. Point your device at the part of the sky where the object is located. For convenience, you can limit the visual magnitude so that only those objects that can be seen with the naked eye appear on the screen. To do this, tap the panel at the bottom of the screen and drag the top slider to the left, closer to the eye icon. From this panel, you can also turn on the night mode, change the constellation appearance, and more.

Step 3. Now you can identify the bright object and get information about it by tapping on its name.

You can also watch our detailed video tutorial.

Star Walk 2 app

To identify an object in the sky with the help of Star Walk 2, follow these steps:

Step 1. Open Star Walk 2 and point your device at the sky or tap the compass icon in the top left corner of the screen. A live representation of what you see in the sky will appear on the screen, and the app will start to follow your movements.

Step 2. Point your device at the part of the sky where the object is located. For convenience, drag the slider on the left down until only the objects you can see in the sky remain on the screen.

Step 3. Now you can identify the bright object and get information about it by tapping on its name at the bottom of the screen.

You can also watch our detailed video tutorial. Find more videos in the Tutorials section.

How to photograph the Moon with planets?

You can take a picture of a planet near the Moon with a professional camera or even a smartphone. Here are some tips to help you:

Check the weather forecast. Open the Sky Tonight app and tap the telescope icon at the bottom. You'll see two tabs — Stargazing Index and Weather. Select the latter and find the date with cloudless weather, so clouds don't interfere with your night of astrophotography.
Find out when objects are well-placed for your location. In Sky Tonight, tap the magnifier icon at the bottom. Enter the name of the object you're interested in and tap the target icon next to the corresponding search result. When the app shows you the object's location, use the panel at the top to scroll through time and determine the best time to take the picture.
Set up a frame. Determine the apparent distance between the Moon and the planet and find their altitude using Sky Tonight. Next, define a rectangle large enough to fit everything you want in the frame, but leave yourself some room. Then use a field of view calculator to find the right lens size for the coverage.
Bring something else into the shot. It could be a tree or a small house, depending on your surroundings. Here is an example of how a target in the foreground improves a shot. Use the AR mode in Sky Tonight to superimpose the image of the night sky on your background. Tap the big blue button on the main screen for this.
Use a tripod. It will help your camera to stay still and take several pictures from the same angle.

Planets near the Moon in November 2026

Here is a quick table of all the planets the Moon passes close to in November 2026.

Date	Event	Visibility
November 2	Moon near Mars; lunar occultation of Mars	🟢 Good
November 2	Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter	🟢 Good
November 7	Moon near Venus; lunar occultation of Venus	🟡 Moderate
November 8	Moon near Mercury	⚫ Not visible
November 20	Moon near Neptune	🔴 Difficult
November 20–21	Moon near Saturn	🟢 Good
November 24	Moon near Uranus	🔴 Difficult
November 30	Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter	🟢 Good
November 30	Moon near Mars	🟢 Good

Reading the times: Close-approach and conjunction times and distances are given as seen from Earth’s center. Occultation start and end times are the worldwide limits; local times and durations vary.

November 2, 2026: Moon near Mars; lunar occultation of Mars

Occultation start: 12:15 UTC
Occultation end: 15:02 UTC
Close approach time: 13:39 UTC (08:39 EST)
Close approach distance: 0°58′
Conjunction time: 14:24 UTC (09:24 EST)
Conjunction distance: 1°03′

On November 2, the waning crescent Moon will pass near Mars (mag 0.8) in the constellation Leo. The pair will be visible in the morning sky before sunrise. A lunar occultation of Mars will be visible from French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and Pitcairn; observers elsewhere will see a close Moon–Mars pairing.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Mars altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 2, 00:40	Nov 2, 05:50	Nov 2, 04:30	1.1°	57°	57°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 2, 00:35	Nov 2, 06:00	Nov 2, 06:00	1.8°	64°	64°
Santiago, Chile	CLST (UTC−3)	Nov 2, 04:05	Nov 2, 06:15	Nov 2, 06:15	2.3°	32°	31°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 2, 00:25	Nov 2, 06:20	Nov 2, 06:20	4.1°	55°	55°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 3, 01:35	Nov 3, 06:10	Nov 3, 01:35	4.6°	10°	15°
Singapore, Singapore	SGT (UTC+8)	Nov 3, 02:40	Nov 3, 06:25	Nov 3, 02:40	3.7°	10°	13°
Sydney, Australia	AEDT (UTC+11)	Nov 3, 03:20	Nov 3, 05:25	Nov 3, 03:20	1.9°	10°	11°

Visibility window: both objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −6°. Best time: the moment when the objects appear closest together from the listed city within the visibility window. Moon altitude / Planet altitude: each object’s height above the horizon at the best time. Separation: the angular distance between the objects as seen from the listed city.

November 2, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter

Occultation start: 20:45 UTC
Occultation end: November 3, 00:45 UTC
Conjunction time: 23:09 UTC (18:09 EST)
Conjunction distance: 0°33′
Close approach time: 22:46 UTC (17:46 EST)
Close approach distance: 0°29′

On November 2 UTC, the waning crescent Moon will pass very close to bright Jupiter (mag −2.0) in Leo. Depending on your location, look before dawn on November 2 or 3.

Mars (mag 0.8) and Regulus (mag 1.4) will shine nearby, forming a noticeable line in the sky. All four objects will be easy to see with the naked eye. Use the free Sky Tonight app to check whether the event is visible from your location and find the exact local timing.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Jupiter altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 2, 01:05	Nov 2, 05:50	Nov 2, 05:50	4.9°	69°	65°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 3, 01:25	Nov 3, 06:00	Nov 3, 01:25	5.3°	10°	15°
Buenos Aires, Argentina	ART (UTC−3)	Nov 3, 03:35	Nov 3, 05:25	Nov 3, 03:35	4.8°	10°	12°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 3, 01:10	Nov 3, 06:20	Nov 3, 01:10	2.4°	10°	12°
Cape Town, South Africa	SAST (UTC+2)	Nov 3, 03:20	Nov 3, 05:15	Nov 3, 03:20	1.9°	10°	11°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 3, 01:35	Nov 3, 06:10	Nov 3, 02:45	0.5°	25°	25°
Hong Kong, China	HKT (UTC+8)	Nov 3, 01:45	Nov 3, 06:05	Nov 3, 05:55	0.5°	68°	68°
Auckland, New Zealand	NZDT (UTC+13)	Nov 3, 04:00	Nov 3, 05:45	Nov 3, 05:45	3.3°	28°	27°

Observers in parts of Australia, Indonesia, southern India, and Malaysia may also witness a lunar occultation of Jupiter. In Australia, however, it will occur in daylight and be harder to observe. Never point binoculars or a telescope toward the Sun. Between 20:45 UTC on November 2 and 00:45 UTC on November 3, the Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter, briefly hiding the planet from view.

November 7, 2026: Moon near Venus; lunar occultation of Venus

Occultation start: 09:26 UTC
Occultation end: 11:59 UTC
Close approach time: 10:42 UTC (05:42 EST)
Close approach distance: 0°57′
Conjunction time: 11:34 UTC (06:34 EST)
Conjunction distance: 1°05′

On November 7, a very thin crescent Moon will appear particularly close to brilliant Venus (mag −4.6) in Virgo. Look for them low above the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. A luminous bluish-white dot near them is Spica (mag 1.0), Virgo’s brightest star.

The view will be slightly better near the equator and in the northern tropics. There, Venus will stand highest in twilight.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Venus altitude
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 7, 06:00	Nov 7, 06:05	Nov 7, 06:00	1.6°	10°	11°
Mexico City, Mexico	CST (UTC−6)	Nov 7, 06:00	Nov 7, 06:15	Nov 7, 06:00	1.9°	10°	12°
Madrid, Spain	CET (UTC+1)	Nov 7, 07:10	Nov 7, 07:25	Nov 7, 07:25	2.0°	13°	12°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 7, 05:55	Nov 7, 06:15	Nov 7, 06:15	4.7°	18°	14°
Singapore, Singapore	SGT (UTC+8)	Nov 7, 06:05	Nov 7, 06:25	Nov 7, 06:25	5.9°	20°	15°
Tokyo, Japan	JST (UTC+9)	Nov 7, 05:30	Nov 7, 05:40	Nov 7, 05:40	6.9°	19°	12°

Observers in parts of Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands may also witness a lunar occultation of Venus. Between 09:26 UTC and 11:59 UTC on November 7, the Moon will pass directly in front of Venus, briefly hiding the planet from view. In some locations, part or all of the occultation will occur in daylight. If you use binoculars or a telescope, never point them at or near the Sun.

November 8, 2026: Moon near Mercury

Close approach time: 12:32 UTC (07:32 EST)
Close approach distance: 5°39′
Conjunction time: 16:32 UTC (11:32 EST)
Conjunction distance: 6°04′

On November 8, an almost new Moon will appear near Mercury (mag 2.6) in the constellation Virgo. Both objects will be too close to the Sun to be visible.

November 20, 2026: Moon near Neptune

Close approach time: 08:28 UTC (03:28 EST)
Close approach distance: 4°24′
Conjunction time: 12:35 UTC (07:35 EST)
Conjunction distance: 4°57′

On the nights of November 19–20 and November 20–21, the waxing gibbous Moon will appear close to Neptune (mag 7.7) in the constellation Pisces. Neptune is far too faint to see with the naked eye, and the bright moonlight will make it even harder to detect, so you’ll need a telescope for the best chance of spotting it.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Neptune altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 19, 18:15	Nov 20, 01:15	Nov 20, 01:15	4.3°	10°	10°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 19, 18:10	Nov 20, 01:05	Nov 20, 01:05	4.7°	10°	11°
Santiago, Chile	CLST (UTC−3)	Nov 19, 22:05	Nov 20, 02:40	Nov 20, 02:40	5.6°	10°	16°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 20, 18:05	Nov 21, 01:00	Nov 20, 18:05	6.4°	35°	31°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 20, 18:50	Nov 21, 01:45	Nov 20, 18:50	4.8°	55°	52°
Tokyo, Japan	JST (UTC+9)	Nov 20, 18:00	Nov 21, 01:00	Nov 20, 18:00	3.8°	49°	45°
Sydney, Australia	AEDT (UTC+11)	Nov 20, 21:20	Nov 21, 02:05	Nov 20, 21:20	5.1°	52°	57°
Auckland, New Zealand	NZDT (UTC+13)	Nov 20, 22:00	Nov 21, 02:25	Nov 20, 22:00	5.0°	48°	53°

Visibility window: both objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −18°. Best time: the moment when the objects appear closest together from the listed city within the visibility window. Moon altitude / Planet altitude: each object’s height above the horizon at the best time. Separation: the angular distance between the objects as seen from the listed city.

November 20–21, 2026: Moon near Saturn

Close approach time: November 20, 20:04 GMT (15:04 EST)
Close approach distance: 6°03′
Conjunction time: November 21, 01:26 GMT (November 20, 20:26 EST)
Conjunction distance: 6°48′

Around November 20, the waxing gibbous Moon will appear near Saturn (mag 0.6) in the sky. The Moon will be in Pisces, while Saturn will be in Cetus, close to the border with Pisces.

You can start looking for them in the evening. They’ll stay above the horizon until around 2 a.m. Both objects are visible to the naked eye, but you'll need a telescope to see Saturn’s rings. However, most telescopes won’t show both objects in the same field of view, and not every pair of binoculars will either.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Saturn altitude
St. John's, Canada	NST (UTC−3:30)	Nov 20, 16:55	Nov 21, 01:40	Nov 20, 16:55	5°14′	28°	23°
Recife, Brazil	BRT (UTC−3)	Nov 20, 17:45	Nov 21, 01:10	Nov 20, 17:45	6°07′	56°	56°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 20, 16:45	Nov 21, 01:35	Nov 20, 18:45	5°23′	39°	34°
Seoul, South Korea	KST (UTC+9)	Nov 20, 17:45	Nov 21, 02:15	Nov 21, 02:15	6°25′	10°	11°
Perth, Australia	AWST (UTC+8)	Nov 20, 19:25	Nov 21, 01:30	Nov 21, 01:30	7°09′	10°	17°
Christchurch, New Zealand	NZDT (UTC+13)	Nov 20, 21:15	Nov 21, 02:20	Nov 21, 02:20	8°03′	10°	18°
Honolulu, USA	HST (UTC−10)	Nov 20, 18:10	Nov 21, 02:20	Nov 20, 18:10	7°31′	44°	43°

November 24, 2026: Moon near Uranus

Close approach time: 17:12 GMT (12:12 EST)
Close approach distance: 5°05′
Conjunction time: 18:40 GMT (13:40 EST)
Conjunction distance: 5°10′

On November 24, the Full Moon will meet Uranus (mag 5.6) in the constellation Taurus. The Moon will be very bright and easy to see without any optical aid, while Uranus will require powerful binoculars or a small telescope. Because of the strong moonlight, spotting faint Uranus nearby will be especially challenging.

Look nearby for the Pleiades star cluster (mag 1.6) and bright Aldebaran (mag 0.9).

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Uranus altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 23, 17:45	Nov 24, 05:35	Nov 24, 05:35	5.7°	12°	13°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 24, 17:35	Nov 25, 05:50	Nov 24, 17:35	5.9°	12°	11°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 24, 17:20	Nov 25, 06:15	Nov 24, 17:20	4.3°	15°	11°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 24, 18:20	Nov 25, 05:55	Nov 24, 20:05	4.8°	37°	33°
Singapore, Singapore	SGT (UTC+8)	Nov 24, 19:40	Nov 25, 06:00	Nov 24, 21:55	5.4°	42°	41°
Tokyo, Japan	JST (UTC+9)	Nov 24, 17:30	Nov 25, 05:30	Nov 25, 04:45	4.8°	24°	22°
Sydney, Australia	AEDT (UTC+11)	Nov 24, 20:45	Nov 25, 04:20	Nov 25, 04:20	5.9°	10°	15°

Visibility window: both objects are at least 10° above the horizon, and the Sun is below −12°. Best time: the moment when the objects appear closest together from the listed city within the visibility window. Moon altitude / Planet altitude: each object’s height above the horizon at the best time. Separation: the angular distance between the objects as seen from the listed city.

November 30, 2026: Moon near Jupiter; lunar occultation of Jupiter

Moon, Jupiter, Regulus and Mars in November 2026 — Around November 30, the waning Moon passes close to Jupiter, Regulus, and Mars in Leo. They’ll be visible after midnight until morning. This image represents the view from the Northern Hemisphere.
©Vito Technology, Inc.

Occultation start: 07:15 UTC
Occultation end: 09:32 UTC
Close approach time: 08:24 UTC (03:24 EST)
Close approach distance: 1°03′
Conjunction time: 09:16 UTC (04:16 EST)
Conjunction distance: 1°09′

On the night of November 29–30, the waning gibbous Moon will appear near brilliant Jupiter (mag −2.2) in the constellation Leo. Reddish Mars (mag 0.4) and blue-white Regulus (mag 1.4), Leo’s brightest star, will be nearby. Look after midnight or shortly before dawn, when the group has climbed higher above the horizon.

The Moon is more than half lit and easy to find — it stands out if the sky is clear. Finding Jupiter will also be easy — it’s the brightest dot near the Moon. Then look for the fainter, reddish Mars and blue-white Regulus. All four are visible to the naked eye, even from many urban locations.

Around the Moon’s closest approach to Jupiter, the four objects will occupy a patch of sky roughly 6° across. It’s a bit more than three fingers held together at arm’s length. Wide-field binoculars may show the whole group at once.

With a small telescope, explore each object separately. Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its largest moons, which appear as tiny points beside the planet. On our Moon, examine the terminator — the boundary between light and darkness, where long shadows make craters and mountains stand out.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Jupiter altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 29, 23:30	Nov 30, 06:10	Nov 29, 23:30	1.3°	10°	11°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 29, 23:25	Nov 30, 06:30	Nov 30, 02:00	1.3°	39°	40°
Santiago, Chile	CLST (UTC−3)	Nov 30, 02:30	Nov 30, 06:00	Nov 30, 05:15	0.3°	37°	37°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Nov 29, 23:20	Nov 30, 07:05	Nov 30, 07:05	1.9°	45°	47°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Nov 30, 00:00	Nov 30, 06:30	Nov 30, 06:30	4.6°	69°	71°
Tokyo, Japan	JST (UTC+9)	Nov 30, 23:35	Dec 1, 06:05	Nov 30, 23:35	4.7°	10°	15°
Sydney, Australia	AEDT (UTC+11)	Dec 1, 01:50	Dec 1, 05:10	Dec 1, 01:50	4.1°	10°	12°
Auckland, New Zealand	NZDT (UTC+13)	Dec 1, 02:20	Dec 1, 05:25	Dec 1, 02:20	3.2°	10°	11°

Observers in parts of southern Argentina, Chile, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands may also witness a lunar occultation of Jupiter. For some locations, the occultation will occur in daylight and therefore will be harder to see. Between 07:15 UTC and 09:32 UTC on November 30, the Moon will pass directly in front of Jupiter, briefly hiding the planet from view.

By the way, Regulus gets to hide too. The Moon will also occult the star for observers in parts of New Zealand and Norfolk Island, from 13:11 UTC to 15:36 UTC on November 30, 2026 (December 1 in the local time zone). How cool is it that the Moon will hide both a planet and a star within just a few hours?

November 30, 2026: Moon near Mars

Close approach time: 16:54 UTC (11:54 EST)
Close approach distance: 2°59′
Conjunction time: 19:34 UTC (14:34 EST)
Conjunction distance: 3°19′

Around November 30, the waning gibbous Moon will pass near reddish Mars (mag 0.4) in the constellation Leo. Both objects have climbed well above the horizon after midnight. As the night goes on, they’ll rise higher. Depending on your location, the Moon may appear closest to Mars on the morning of November 30 or December 1. You can watch on both mornings to see how far the Moon moves past its bright companions.

Two more bright objects will join the scene: Jupiter (mag −2.2) and Regulus (mag 1.4), Leo’s brightest star. Jupiter will be the brightest point of light in the group, while Mars will stand out by its reddish color.

All four objects are visible to the naked eye. Binoculars will help you explore the Moon’s cratered surface, though you may need to move them slightly to see every object. Depending on your binoculars, you may even fit all four into a single field of view.

City	Time zone	Visibility start	Visibility end	Best time	Separation	Moon altitude	Mars altitude
Los Angeles, USA	PST (UTC−8)	Nov 29, 23:50	Nov 30, 06:10	Nov 30, 06:10	3.7°	64°	67°
New York, USA	EST (UTC−5)	Nov 29, 23:45	Nov 30, 06:30	Nov 30, 06:30	4.7°	57°	60°
Santiago, Chile	CLST (UTC−3)	Nov 30, 02:50	Nov 30, 06:00	Nov 30, 06:00	5.1°	41°	39°
London, UK	GMT (UTC+0)	Dec 1, 00:20	Dec 1, 07:05	Dec 1, 00:20	6.0°	10°	16°
New Delhi, India	IST (UTC+5:30)	Dec 1, 00:30	Dec 1, 06:30	Dec 1, 00:30	3.7°	10°	12°
Tokyo, Japan	JST (UTC+9)	Nov 30, 23:35	Dec 1, 06:05	Dec 1, 00:20	3.1°	19°	20°
Sydney, Australia	AEDT (UTC+11)	Dec 1, 02:00	Dec 1, 05:10	Dec 1, 03:05	2.2°	24°	22°
Auckland, New Zealand	NZDT (UTC+13)	Dec 1, 02:35	Dec 1, 05:25	Dec 1, 05:15	2.2°	36°	34°

What planet is closest to the Moon in the sky: Bottom line

Now you know what those bright dots near the Moon are. To view the planets and stars near our natural satellite, choose a cloudless night and use Star Walk 2 or Sky Tonight to learn when the celestial objects are best placed for your location. For a visual explanation, watch our recently released video on how to identify bright objects near the Moon using the Sky Tonight app, step by step.

Here, you can learn about past conjunctions of the Moon and planets:

Wishing you clear skies and happy observations!

Text Credit:Vito Technology, Inc.

Topics:Planets & Moons Moon Skywatching