[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Challenge No. 6.2

Mars & Neptune conjunction this early December!

Ok, are you still struggling to find Neptune?

Well, here's your chance to nail it for certain!

Next week between the 6th and the 8th of December, Mars will come within 1° of Neptune. In fact, on the 7th it will be within 4 minutes of arc! In other words, both planets will be in the one field of view, with as much magnification as you can muster on the 7th!

Below are a few Sky Safari screenshots of the conjunction for the 6th, 7th and 8th of December, along with a screenshot of the location Mars can be seen in the sky - not hard really as it will be the brightest "star" in the western sky in the early evening.

NOTE TO SCREENSHOTS BELOW: Be aware that the three zoomed-in screenshots are all of slightly different scale! While the spacing may look similar between each, note that each screenshot lists the angular separation between Mars and Neptune for all three nights. And in the top right of the screen shot the field of view of each shot is also noted.

Happy hunting,

Alex.