After the recent Great Conjunction, it's now time for a Triple Conjunction.
After the Great Conjunction on 21 December, when Jupiter and Saturn came together in the night’s sky, forming what appeared to be a single bright star above the horizon, it will very shortly be time for Mercury to join the party to create a rare triple conjunction.
Wrap up and look up at the night sky on Sunday 10 January to see the ‘triple conjunction’ of planets, as Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury form a tight triangle in the sky. The best time to see this phenomenon will be around 45 minutes after sunset, by looking low in the sky toward the southwest horizon.
While you won’t need a telescope, a pair of binoculars will definitely help you to see these planets form a tight bud just 1.6 degrees apart. As the moon will be a waning crescent, the sky will be nice and dark - all the better for observing the event.
To have something to compare the conjunction to, why not look up in the evenings before and after 10 January too? That way, you’ll be able to track this planetary trio as they move in close together, and then apart.
According to Space, Mercury will appear around 2.5 times dimmer than Jupiter, and four times brighter than Saturn.