Stargazers are in for a surprise tonight with Mars visible near the full moon from sunrise to sunset.
Danielle Wilcox, resident astronomer at Cork’s Blackrock Observatory, said the “red planet” would be easy to spot without a telescope on a clear night.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said other planets are also visible at this time of year, including Saturn and Jupiter.
She said astronomers will be able to detect Mars around 9 p.m. m. from this night.
“But you will see Jupiter first. You are going to want to look towards the east where the moon is coming up and the south for Jupiter and if you go a little bit further towards the south west you will spot Saturn,” she explained.
Mars approaches Earth about every 2.1 years and will be “exceptionally bright to the naked eye” tonight, according to David Moore, editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine.
He said people should look east around 7 p.m, when Mars and the Moon rise, adding that it will probably be visible until well after midnight.
Mars is expected to pass even closer to the Moon next month and will pass behind the Moon on the morning of December 8.
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