See Mars and Jupiter form 'double planet' early Aug. 14

Bushy trees form a low horizon in front of backgound buildings, barely breaching the trees' line. Above, a vast night sky with blue lines connecting light points to show constellations. The outline of a medium sized orange circle captures Mars and Jupiter.

Be sure to set your alarm clock for at least a couple of hours before sunrise on Wednesday morning (Aug. 14), for if you have a clear view toward the east, you'll be able to see brilliant Jupiter forming a most unusual and spectacular "double planet" with Mars.

These two worlds will glow respectively at magnitudes -2.2 and +0.8, which in terms of a brightness ratio means that Jupiter will outshine Mars by a factor of nearly 16 to 1. Yet in spite of their great difference in brightness, they should make for an eye-catching sight visually.