Mars and the moon will team up in a delightful celestial sight tonight (Feb. 10) and NASA has some tips to help you spot the Red Planet inthe night sky.
If your weather is clear, Mars will shine about 6 degrees below and to the right of the crescent moon in the western sky just after sunset (Your closed fist held out at arm's length covers about 10 degrees of the sky.)
"On the 10th, the crescent moon pairs up with Mars," officials with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a video guide. "Look for them in the west about an hour after sunset." [The Brightest Planets in February's Night Sky!]
Mars is actually a great planet to see in the night sky all month, according to NASA.
"Look west in the first couple of hours after sunset all month long to spot reddish Mars," agency officials said.
This isn't the only close encounter Mars will appear to share with another celestrial object. On Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Mars can be found near the position of the asteroid Bennu, where NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample-return probe is currently in orbit. Bennu is too small to see without a telescope, but at least you'll know where it is, NASA said.
"So on the 14th give a little wave to Bennu — and OSIRIS-Rex while you're at it," JPL officials said.
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Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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