It’s a commonly asked question. As the Moon makes its regular orbital journey around the sky, it sometimes appears close to a particularly bright “star”.
Often these stars are not stars at all but planets. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can all appear close to the Moon. That is because their orbits around the Sun are on a similar plane to the Moon’s around the Earth.
These planets also appear much brighter than most stars. Apart from the planets, a handful of first-magnitude stars – some of the brightest in the sky – also lie along the path travelled by the Moon, and so you might spot one close to it.
Occasionally, the Moon will actually pass in front of and hide a star or planet. Such an event is known as an occultation.
Here is a list of dates when the Moon may be seen close to a bright planet or star.
2020
July 2: Antares
July 6: Jupiter and Saturn
July 12: Mars
August 1: Jupiter
August 2: Saturn
August 10: Mars
August 13: Aldebaran
August 14: Venus
August 24: Jupiter
August 25: Saturn
September 5/6: Mars
September 10: Aldebaran
September 14: Venus
September 24: Jupiter
September 25: Saturn
October 2/3: Mars
October 6: Aldebaran
October 14: Venus
October 22: Jupiter
October 23: Saturn
October 29: Mars
November 2: Aldebaran
November 7: Pollux
November 9: Regulus
November 13: Venus
November 19: Jupiter and Saturn
November 25/26: Mars
November 30: Aldebaran
December 3: Pollux
December 6: Regulus
December 10: Spica
December 12: Venus
December 17: Jupiter and Saturn
December 23/24: Mars
December 27: Aldebaran
December 30/31: Pollux
Related: What to see in the night sky this month
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