Venus, Mars and Jupiter shine from the eastern sky as seen from the Chicago area this morning. Mars passed the star Regulus yesterday as it moves eastward in its orbital path. This morning they are 1 degree apart. Venus is the bright morning star outshining all other starlike objects. Jupiter appears low in the sky at this hour. Venus and Jupiter are moving closer together for another conjunction. This morning they are 19 degrees apart. They are closest on October 25.
Venus and Sirius appear in the same camera field. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Because of this proximity to our planet and its highly reflective clouds, this morning Venus is about 17 times brighter than Sirius. Procyon also appears in the same field of view. Venus is nearly 100 times brighter.
For more information about the planets in the morning sky: