Mercury, Venus, and Mars team up in southwestern sky

William Atkins
Saturday, 30 August 2008 18:56

Science - Space

Venus will have a magnitude of about -3.9 (the brightest of the three), while Mercury will be the second brightest of the three at about -0.2 and Mars trailing the threesome with a magnitude of about 1.7.

Venus is much brighter because its cloudy atmosphere reflects much more light from the Sun than the other two planets.

As we enter the month of October, Venus will set later after sunset--around thirty degrees due west of south--about 75 minutes after sunset. As the planet gets further away from the setting Sun, it will become more brilliant and, thus, easier to see even to the naked eye.

See the arrangement of Mercury, Venus, and Mars in the evening sky at the MSNBC website “Doorstep astronomy: Venus shines bright.”

Mercury will remain in the evening sky until October 6, 2008 and, then, will reappear on November 25, 2008. It will set in the evening sky, in the middle of September, about 2.5 hours after sunset.

Mars will be seen in the evenings until December 5, 2008.

For additional information about Mercury, Venus, and Mars in the September 2008 evening sky, please visit:

Space.com: “See Trio of Planets at Sunset”

Suite 101.com: “The Night Sky for September 2008”

Astronomy.com: “September 2008: Planets pierce the twilight”

Enjoy your early evening views of the night sky!