Crescent Moon Flees Mars (after sunset)

As the sky begins to darken after dusk on Monday, July 28, look low in the western sky for reddish Mars shining several finger widths to the upper right (or 3 degrees to the celestial north) of the waxing moon’s slender crescent – close enough for them to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Since the moon continuously slides east by its own diameter every hour, observers in Europe and Africa will see the moon close below Mars, while those in the western Americas and the Pacific Ocean region will see the moon farther to the left of Mars.