See the moon, 3 planets and red star Antares arc over NYC (photos)

Alexander Krivenyshev of WorldTimeZone.com captured this shot of the crescent moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the red star Antares arcing over the Big Apple on Feb. 20, 2020. (Image credit: Alexander Krivenyshev (WorldTimeZone.com))

Even the bright lights of New York City couldn't swamp this celestial spectacle.

Alexander Krivenyshev of WorldTimeZone.com photographed a gorgeous predawn sky show Thursday morning (Feb. 20), capturing the crescent moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the red star Antares arcing over the Big Apple.

Krivenyshev, who was observing from the New Jersey city of West New York, also homed in on the triangle formed by the moon, Saturn and Jupiter, snapping a more zoomed-in shot of the trio.

Krivenyshev also took this photo of the moon, Saturn  and Jupiter over New York on Feb. 20, 2020. (Image credit: Alexander Krivenyshev (WorldTimeZone.com))

This alignment was no one-off thing; these planets will remain clustered in the predawn sky for a while longer yet, so you can catch them yourself if you're willing to rise before the sun. The moon will become a lesser and lesser participant over the next few days, however, for it's waning toward its blacked-out new phase, which takes effect on Sunday (Feb. 23).

Antares' days are numbered, too, but in a much more permanent way. The star, which is located about 600 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Scorpio, is a red supergiant that's nearly burned up all of its nuclear fuel. Once that process finishes, Antares will die in a massive supernova explosion whose brightness will briefly rival that of the entire Milky Way galaxy.

Editor's note: If you captured an amazing astronomy photo and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com. 

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook

OFFER: Save at least 56% with our latest magazine deal!

<a href="https://myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io/c/221109/583111/9620?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w" data-link-merchant="myfavouritemagazines.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">OFFER: Save at least 56% with our latest magazine deal!

<a href="https://myfavouritemagazines.pxf.io/c/221109/583111/9620?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk%2FAAS%2Fspace2020w" data-link-merchant="myfavouritemagazines.co.uk"" data-link-merchant="myfavouritemagazines.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">All About Space magazine takes you on an awe-inspiring journey through our solar system and beyond, from the amazing technology and spacecraft that enables humanity to venture into orbit, to the complexities of space science.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.