Pacific Northwest stargazers can watch the Moon meet Mercury and Venus this week

Pacific Northwest stargazers have two chances to catch the moon appearing near some of the brightest planets in the night sky this week.

The moon has already passed near Mars and Jupiter this week.

Next up are Mercury on Saturday, Sept. 12, and Venus on Monday, Sept. 14, giving skywatchers in Oregon and Washington reason to look west shortly after sunset.

When can you see the moon near Mercury?

A thin crescent moon will appear near Mercury on Saturday evening, but this will be the more difficult of the two events to spot.

Mercury and the moon will sit extremely low on the western horizon shortly after sunset.

According to Astronomy.com, observers around 40 degrees north latitude may have only a five- to 10-minute viewing window before the pair disappears below the horizon.

The view will be even more challenging farther north in the Pacific Northwest.

For the best chance, find an unobstructed view toward the west and start watching shortly after sunset. Coastal viewpoints and other locations without mountains, trees, or buildings blocking the horizon could provide better viewing conditions.

What can stargazers see Sept. 14?

The moon moves on to much brighter Venus on Monday, Sept. 14.

The two will appear close together low in the western sky around sunset. Venus is considerably brighter than Mercury, making this pairing easier to locate, although viewers will still need a clear western horizon.

In Seattle, sunset on Sept. 14 is around 7:23 p.m., giving Washington viewers an idea of when to start looking. Sunset comes a little earlier farther south in Oregon at, around 7:15 p.m.

The moon will be a young waxing crescent, with only a small portion of its surface illuminated. That should make the pairing with bright Venus particularly noticeable if skies cooperate.

What else can Pacific Northwest stargazers watch for this year?

There are more night-sky events ahead as the Pacific Northwest moves into fall and winter.

One of the biggest arrives in December with the Geminid meteor shower. The annual shower is known for producing numerous bright meteors and is expected to peak around Dec. 13 and 14.

As always in Oregon and Washington, cloud cover could determine whether there is much to see.

The current forecast for Sept. 14 shows a 4% to 41% chance of cloud cover across the Pacific Northwest.