Mars and NGC 6530 will make close approach

On January 26, 2022, at 09:14 GMT, Mars and the young cluster NGC 6530 will make a close approach, passing about 30.2 arcminutes of each other. In comparison, the average apparent size of a Full Moon is about 31 arcminutes.

Both objects will shine within naked eye visibility: Mars — at a magnitude of 1.4 and NGC 6530 — at 4.6. However, it’s better to find a place with dark skies. Look for the objects in the constellation Sagittarius in the morning hours.

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