Morning Stars Venus and Jupiter shine through a partly overcast sky in these 30-second exposures made this morning from the Chicago area. Both can be seen in the sky well into bright twilight before the sun rises.
Brilliant planet Venus shines through the clouds low in the eastern sky in the image above. It is among the dim stars of the constellation Cancer. Its rapid eastward movement is carrying it toward a close approach with Regulus (Leo) (outside the frame) early next month. The Gemini twins, Castor and Pollux appear above the planet.
Bright planet Jupiter shines from the southern skies, nearly 60 degrees to the upper right of Venus. Jupiter is among the stars of the constellation Taurus with its bright star Aldebaran, horn stars Elnath and Zeta Tauri, and the Pleiades star cluster. Betelgeuse (Orion) is visible in the image below Jupiter and Taurus.
Jupiter’s eastward motion is slower than Venus, but it is gradually moving eastward toward the horns of the bull.
For our monthly sky watching posting, click here. Watch the planetary pair in the morning sky throughout the next several months. Read more about Venus as a Morning Star. (Click the images to see them larger.)