Mercury, Mars and Venus align

With autumn's arrival on Sept. 22, the sun will be south of the equator

By CARLOS BYARS Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Sept. 3, 2008, 11:06PM

This is a special month for planet watchers, as Mercury, Mars and Venus join in a special dance against the background of the stars of the constellation Virgo.

Brilliant Venus makes the trio easy to spot low in the west shortly after sunset, with the closest combination taking place Sept. 10. The bright star to the left of the trio is Spica.

Look for the planets early in the month. Mercury will be fading, and soon both Mercury and Mars will be lost in the twilight.

Jupiter continues to hover above the stars of the teapot, constellation Sagittarius.

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