Look Up! Mars and Jupiter Will Form a Rare Conjunction in the Night Sky This Week

On Wednesday, August 14, stargazers will have the opportunity to spot a special phenomenon: Mars and Jupiter will form a conjunction in the early morning sky. The celestial event will be visible from Earth to the naked eye.

While the two plants have been near each other all month, their closest pair-up occurs on Wednesday when they'll appear just a third of a degree apart, according to the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL). This meet up is called a planetary conjunction, and it occurs when two or more planets look close together from our perspective on Earth.

In actuality, Mars and Jupiter are still millions of miles apart at the time of the conjunction. Per JPL, they appear so close together at this time because the two planets are arranged along the same line of sight.

The best time to view the conjunction is a few hours before sunrise. Thanks to both planets' brightness, the phenomenon is visible to the unaided eye, but binoculars will only make the event that much more impressive.

In the mornings following the conjunction, the red planet Mars begins to move away from Jupiter. But on August 27, the planets offer stargazers another amazing sight when they meet up with the crescent moon to form a beautiful trio in the early morning sky.