See Mars slide by Saturn: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher 4/8/2024

Without a doubt, the biggest celestial event this week is the total solar eclipse that will grace North America on Monday. But if you're looking for some nighttime targets, grab your binoculars or Celestron telescope and look for Mars and Saturn tangoing in the sky. In our April edition of Sky This Month, Martin Ratcliffe and Alister Ling write:
“[T]he actual conjunction [will occur] late on the 10th. Earlier that morning, U.S. observers will see Mars 30′ northwest of Saturn. The pair stands 5° high 45 minutes before sunrise.
“The following morning, April 11, Mars stands 35' north-northeast of Saturn. Catch the planets soon after they rise (around 5:15 a.m. local time). Starting around 6 a.m., you should have a nice view if your eastern horizon is clear.
“Through a telescope Saturn dominates the scene, with a 16"-wide planetary disk and rings extending about 36" from end to end. The rings’ tilt is a slight 4°, with much of the southern half of the planet now visible. Mars shows a tiny disk 5" across.
“The visibility of Mars doesn’t improve much as the month progresses. By April 30 the planet stands 6° high in the eastern sky an hour before sunrise. On that date, Saturn is 13° southwest of Mars and already 11° high at the same time.”
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Thumbnail credit: Alan Dyer

[@dasimcoes]

I’m going to try to catch this, but my eastern view has some small bluffs.