Moon Reaches Perihelion at 1.0086 AU as It Conjuncts Mars on May 14

2 articles · Updated · en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br · May 13

10:06 PM Brasília time on Thursday marks the Moon’s lunar perihelion, when it will be 1.0086 AU—about 151 million km—from the Sun, hours after a Mars conjunction at 9:45 PM.
Both alignments officially occur below the horizon, so the practical viewing window for the Moon and Mars shifts to Friday’s predawn hours, roughly 4:30 AM to 5:55 AM toward the eastern sky.
Saturn comes first in the sequence: its conjunction with the Moon is set for 6:58 PM Wednesday, but observers will instead see the pair before dawn Thursday, from about 3:20 AM until 6 AM.
No telescope is needed for either pairing, though the waning Moon’s thin crescent and the short pre-sunrise windows mean timing and clear skies will matter.
May’s early mornings remain active after this week, with the Moon next set to pass near Venus on May 18 and Jupiter on May 20.

This week's sky show is just the start. What spectacular planetary duo is aligning for June?

As the Moon meets Saturn and Mars, what secret glow can be seen on its unlit side?