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I have just been viewing Mars and Saturn, which are even closer together than I expected. Using 104x, I could just fit them in the same field when using a Tak ortho EP so I guess that make them about 0.4 of a degree apart.
They make a striking pair. They are both roughly equal in brightness, however the light from the smaller Mars is more intense. The red disc of Mars compared to Saturn's yellow also makes a very interesting color contrast. Furthermore, the round disc of Mars compared to Saturn's oval shape highlights how very different they are in composition.
I also pondered the fact that they are on the far side of the Sun from us and this extra distant helps shrink the apparent separation between the two planets. I guess that closest planetary conjunctions of the outer planets are when they are furthest from us.
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