Morning Stars Venus and Jupiter shine through a thin cloud layer this morning as seen in these images made from the Chicago area. Both bright planets can be seen well into morning twilight.
In the image above, Venus is near the star Regulus, the brightest in the constellation Leo. Venus’ rapid eastward movement compared to the stars is easily observed during the next few mornings. The planet passes the star on the morning of October 3.
Bright Jupiter appears high in the southern sky nearly 70 degrees to the upper right of Venus among the stars of the constellation Taurus. In this image Jupiter and Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation, shine through a thin cloud layer. Resembling a tiny dipper, the Pleiades cluster shines through the clouds. The bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri are nearby.
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.)