Morning Stars Venus and Jupiter sparkle in clear skies in these images this morning from the clear, dark skies of Fairfield County, Ohio.
In the 30-second image above, Venus appears in early morning twilight in the eastern sky as it nears the star Regulus in the constellation Leo. Brilliant Venus rapidly moves eastward in its orbital motion compared to the stars. Venus will appear very close to Regulus on October 3. Watch Venus approach the star during the next week.
At the same time, bright planet Jupiter appears in the southern sky over 60 degrees to the upper right of Venus. It is among the stars of the constellation Taurus, as shown in this 30-second exposure image. Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star, appears nearby along with the Hyades star cluster and the Pleiades star cluster. The bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri, are near Jupiter as well. The bright star Capella (Auriga) appears at the edge of the frame.
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.)