The moon and Mars will share a close approach in the night sky tonight (Nov. 20), coming close enough together for a nice pairing for the naked eye or binoculars.
As seen from the United States, the moon will rise in the east about four hours after sunset and will stay visible throughout the night, remaining high in the sky until after sunrise. Just above the moon will be Mars, shining brightly as an orange-yellow orb. The Red Planet and the moon will also join up in what's known as a conjunction during the close approach. They'll share the same right ascension, the celestial equivalent of longitude that, put simply, measures how far east an object is of the point where the sun intersects the celestial equator on the vernal equinox.
