Saturn, Mars Reappear Before Dawn as Crescent Moon Passes on May 13-14

3 articles · Updated · Jersey's Best · May 11

Saturn is now visible above the eastern treetops about 30 minutes before sunrise, marking its emergence from weeks of low, hard-to-see morning appearances.
Mars has also begun to clear the morning twilight, but at just 7 degrees above the horizon around 5:15 a.m. it remains dimmer than Saturn and may require binoculars.
May 13 brings a crescent moon near Saturn, with the planet below left of the moon; on May 14, a thinner crescent passes near Mars in the same pre-dawn eastern sky.
Over the next few months both planets will climb higher and shift westward, improving visibility, though Saturn reaches opposition only in early October and Mars in February 2027.

Beyond Saturn and Mars, what dimmer planet is currently hiding in plain sight near the morning's celestial trio?

With Mars so low in the twilight, is this week's celestial show truly visible from light-polluted cities?

Astronauts just returned from the Moon. How does this planetary alignment connect to NASA's next Artemis mission?