A good telescope or pair of binoculars will help you see some of the night sky’s fainter objects. However, the unaided eye is enough to learn its stars and constellations, watch the moon, experience meteor showers and see satellites whizz across the night sky.
Read on to find out what you can see in the night sky tonight, from planetary meet-ups to the ever-changing moon phases, meteor showers and more. Want to look even further ahead? Check out our monthly night sky guide our brightest planets guide also tells you what planets are visible and when this month.
If you've never knowingly seen Mercury, tonight is an excellent opportunity. Around 45-60 minutes after sunset, face west-southwest and look for the moon — a slender crescent now about 14%-illuminated. Now drop your gaze down and slightly right to find Saturn, then Mercury.
The innermost planet reaches its highest altitude in its current evening apparition this weekend, soon after passing the point of greatest elongation east — when the rocky world is at its greatest apparent distance from the sun — on Feb. 19. An unobstructed horizon is key — as are clear air and clear skies — but there's something particularly satisfying about picking out a world that spends most of its life lost in the sun's glare.
Source: www.space.com
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