There is a series of planetary conjunctions visible in the west after sunset this month.

On February 4, Mars passes just 25 arc-minutes to the SSE of Neptune.

On the 6th, a planetary grouping occurs, with Mercury, Mars, and Neptune within a circle 1.6° in diameter. Later that same day, Mercury passes just 25' SSE of Neptune.

On February 8, Mercury approaches to within 16' of Mars. Mercury, at magnitude -1.0, is much the brighter and can be used as a guide to find magnitude +1.2 Mars - a difficult part to manage as this conjunction will only be visible low in the west for a short time after sunset.

A Planetary Grouping, February 6, 2013, at 6:00 pm EST: At sunset on February 6th, the three planets Mercury, Mars, and Neptune all lie within a circle 1.6° across. A planetary grouping like this can be defined as several planets fitting within a 5° circle. Neptune's participation is of only theoretical interest; in practice, Neptune will be almost impossible to see against the glow of twilight and the thick atmosphere.