In recent days, the Moon has successively drawn close to bright planets: on Sunday, it passed within just a few degrees of reddish Mars, and on Tuesday, it appeared near Jupiter. Those who missed these encounters need not be disappointed: new celestial conjunctions are expected on Saturday and Monday, when the Moon will appear beside Mercury and Venus. According to Chris Laws, a University of Washington professor specializing in astronomy, January has turned the Moon into a participant in a kind of “planetary ball.” Before this busy period, it also caused a partial lunar eclipse on Aug. 27, and from Friday into Saturday, it will enter the new moon phase.
On Saturday, a very thin crescent Moon will approach Mercury low above the western horizon. The best place to look will be toward Puget Sound, if rainy and cloudy conditions allow observers to find a break in the sky. On Monday, after sunset, the Moon will move toward Venus. The two will also need to be sought low in the west, as Venus and Mercury are close to each other. Astronomy enthusiasts have other spectacular events to look forward to this year as well: on Dec. 14, the Geminid meteor shower will bring hundreds of “shooting stars.” These flashes are caused by dust particles shed by asteroid 3200 Phaethon.
Based on: How to see the moon dance with planets over Seattle this week