The month of May has started on a good note for all night sky lovers or astronomy enthusiasts. After the Super Flower Moon, the satellite has been spotted close with several other planets of our solar system. If you have always been interested in planetary positions other than stars and constellations, then tonight you will be able to see the moon closer to Mars. Tonight post-midnight, ie on May 14, the moon and Mars will be closer to each other.  Earlier this month, people also enjoyed the sight of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn line up with moon.  So the neighbouring planets have been making a noticeable appearance in the skies these days.

Mars which is also usually seen on other days will appear closer to the moon on the mornings of May 14 and May 15. During the early dawn, you can see the red planet closing up to the moon, in its last quarter phase. The best part is one does not need any great equipment to watch it.

Timing of The Occurrence

The closest pass of Mars to the last quarter moon will occur at 10 PM EST which is 7.30 PM IST on May 14. It depends on the moon rise timings around the world.

Given the lower level of pollution these days due to the lockdown, the night skies appear much clear. So other planets are clearly visible too. On May 12, the moon was closer to Jupiter and Saturn as well. As per the EarthSky.org, the red planet is the 8th brightest star in the sky these days. Jupiter is the brighter planet which outshines Mars by 12 times. And although the moon and Mars appear close, they are not as close in the space. Mars lies about 425 times the moon's distance. So if you love observing the planets then don't miss this observance.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2020 02:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).