Brilliant Morning Star Venus and bright Jupiter appear in the eastern sky this morning during twilight. (Click the images to see them larger.) Venus is now well past Jupiter. The planetary pair is 10 degrees apart. Venus is rapidly moving to the far side of its orbit nearly behind the sun. During the next six weeks it rises later and appears lower in the sky. It passes superior conjunction and moves into the evening sky later this year. Venus appears dimmer than Jupiter as it is clearing a cloud bank in the image and is obscured by low-level haze. Meanwhile, Jupiter appears higher in the east each morning. The pair continue to separate.
Orion and Sirius appear in the southeastern sky at the same time as Venus and Jupiter are in the east-northeast. Sirius, the brightest star, appears near the horizon. Jupiter, shining by reflected sunlight, appears about 40% brighter than Sirius. Betelgeuse and Rigel, Orion’s brightest stars, above Sirius.
More about the planets: