Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines brightly in the morning sky during 2020 and early 2021.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Click here for our semi-technical article about the apparition of Venus during 2020-2021.
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2020, June 14: The crescent Venus appears low in the east-northeast, 25 minutes before sunrise. Welcome back, Venus!
2020, June 15: Venus appears very low in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise.
2020, June 16: Venus is low in the east-northeast during morning twilight. Use a binocular to see its tiny crescent phase.
2020, June 16: The crescent moon is over 36° to the upper right of Venus.
2020, June 18: The crescent moon and brilliant Venus appear in the sky during twilight. The moon is 12° to the upper right of the Morning Star.
2020, June 19: The moon is 1.0° to the lower left Venus during early morning twilight.
2020, June 19: A close-up in the Venus – Moon conjunction. The moon is 1.0° to the lower left Venus.
2020, June 22: Venus appears low in the east-northeast about 30 minutes before sunrise.
2020, June 24: Brilliant Venus is visible in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise.
2020, June 25: Venus appears above the trees in the the east-northeast, about 45 minutes before sunrise.
2020, June 26: Venus appears low in the east-northeast about 25 minutes before sunrise.
2020, June 28: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast among the stars of Taurus during morning twilight. The Pleiades appear above the planet.
2020, June 29: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the east-northeast about an hour before sunrise. The star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster are visible with a binocular.
2020, July 1: Venus shines from low in the east-northeastern sky. No stars this morning because of an overcast sky.
2020, July 2: Venus shines from the east-northeast during morning twilight. It is 0.9° to the upper right of δ1 Tauri.
2020, July 3: Venus is 0.6° to the upper right of Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 3.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran.
2020, July 4: Nearly 11° in altitude in the east-northeast, Venus is 3.4° to the upper right of α Tau and 0.4° to the right of δ1 Tau. 2020, July 4: Jupiter 2.3° below 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.2° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap)
2020, July 5: Venus, nearly 12° up in the east-northeast, is 3.1° to the upper right of Aldebaran, 0.8° to the lower right of δ1 Tau, and 0.3° to the lower right of δ2 Tau. The Pleiades star cluster is nearly 11° above Venus.
2020, July 6: Venus appears inside the “V” of Taurus, 0.5° below Delta1 Tauri (δ1 Tau) and 2.7° to the upper right of Aldebaran.
2020, July 7: Venus is part of a line that starts at Aldebaran and ends at δ1 Tau. It is 0.6° to the lower left of δ2 Tau.
2020, July 9: Brilliant Venus is among the stars of the Hyades star cluster, 1.6° to the upper right of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears higher in the sky.
2020, July 11: Brilliant Venus appears 1.0° to the upper left of the star Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above Venus.
2020, July 13: Venus, Aldebaran, Hyades, Pleiades appear in the early morning sky.
2020, July 13: Venus appears 1.2° to the left of Aldebaran.
2020, July 14: Venus, Moon, and Mars span nearly 62° in the eastern morning sky.
2020, July 14: Venus is 1.6° to the left of Aldebaran. The Pleiades star cluster appears above the pair.
2020, July 17: The crescent moon is in a group with Venus and Aldebaran as the Pleiades appear above the scene during early morning twilight.
2020, July 20: In the east, brilliant Venus shines from among the stars of Taurus, 5.1° to the lower left of the star Aldebaran. The Hyades star cluster and Pleiades star cluster are nearby.
2020, July 20: Venus and Mercury shines from the eastern sky. Mercury is over 23° to the lower left of the brilliant planet.
2020, July 23: Venus and Mercury shine from the eastern sky during bright morning twilight. Mercury is nearly 24° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, July 23: Brilliant Venus, among the stars of Taurus, is 7.3° to the lower left of Aldebaran. The Hyades star cluster and Pleiades star cluster appear nearby.
2020, July 24: Mercury and Venus shine from the eastern sky this morning about an hour before sunrise. Mercury is 24° to the lower left of brilliant Venus.
2020, July 25: Venus in Taurus. The planet continues to move eastward among the stars. It is moving toward ζ Tau. This morning it is 6.5° to the upper right of ζ Tau and 8.6° to the lower left of Aldebaran.
2020, July 26: In Taurus, brilliant Venus is morning eastward toward Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau). This morning Venus is 5.8° to the upper right of the star.
2020, July 28: Venus, in the constellation Taurus, is 4.3° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of the Bull.
2020, August 4: Brilliant Venus, shining from the stars of Taurus, is 2.6° below Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of Taurus.
2020, August 5: Venus is 1.1° to the upper right of the star Chi1 Orionis (χ1 Ori) and 3.3° below Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of Taurus.
2020, August 7: Venus is 0.9° below Chi1 Orionis (χ1 Ori) and 1.4° to the upper right of Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori).
2020, August 8: Brilliant Venus is 0.5° to the upper right of Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori).
2020, August 9: Venus is 0.5° below Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori). The planet is at its earliest rising time for the next week.
2020, August 10: Venus is 1.3° to the lower left of χ2 Ori and 2.8° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum (η Gem).
2020, August 12: Venus is 2.7° to the lower right of Eta Geminorum (η Gem) and 2.5° to the lower right of Mu Geminorum (μ Gem).
Photo Caption - 2020, August 14, 2020: One day before their close grouping, the crescent moon is 13° to the upper right of Morning Star Venus. Sirius is making its first morning appearance in the east-southeast.
2020, August 14: Venus is 2.5° to the lower right of Mu Geminorum (μ Gem ), 4.6° above Gamma Geminorum (γ Gem), and 0.7° to the upper right of Nu Geminorum (ν Gem).
2020, August 16: The brilliant planet Venus is about 12° to the upper right of the crescent moon. Pollux is 6.6° to the left of the lunar crescent.
2020, August 16: Venus and the crescent moon appear in the eastern sky during morning twilight.
2020, August 20: Venus is 4.8° to the left of Gamma Geminorum (γ Gem) and 3.0° to the upper right of Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem).
2020, August 20: Venus shines with Orion and its bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel.
2020: August 21, 2020: Sirius shines from low in the east-southeast during morning twilight. Brilliant Venus is higher in the sky in the east.
2020, August 22: Brilliant Venus shines from the eastern sky. It is 1.1° to the upper right of Zeta Geminorum (ζ Gem). Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins, are to the lower left.
2020, August 30: Venus is is to the lower right of Pollux. The planet is 4.2° below Delta Geminorum (δ Gem) and 5.0° to the lower left of Lambda Geminorum (λ Gem).
2020, August 30: Venus and a bright contingent of bright stars – Castor, Pollux, Procyon, Sirius, Rigel and Betelgeuse appear in the morning sky.
2020, September 4: Venus moves into Cancer to the lower right of Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins.
Chart Caption - 2020, September 4: Venus, Sirius, Procyon, and Orion shine from the eastern sky during early morning twilight.
2020, September 5: Venus – among Cancer’s dim stars - is 9.9° to the lower right of Pollux.
Photo Caption - 2020, September 5: Morning Star Venus appears during twilight with Sirius, Procyon, Orion, and Gemini.
Photo Caption - 2020, September 14: The moon is 5.0° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, September 14: Through a hazy sky, the moon is 5.0° to the lower left of Venus.
Photo Caption - 2020, September 18: Brilliant Morning Star Venus appears with Sirius, Procyon, Castor, Pollux, Betelgeuse and Rigel.
2020, September 18: Venus is in the east before sunrise. It is 1.4° to the lower left of Omicron Cancri (ο Cnc).
2020, September 25: Moving eastward in Leo, Venus is 4.8° to the upper left of Omicron Leonis (ο Leo).
2020, October 1: Brilliant Venus shines from the eastern sky. The planet is stepping eastward in Leo. This morning it is 1.7° to the upper right of Regulus (α Leo) and 0.7° to the lower left of Nu Leonis (ν Leo).
Photo Caption - 2020, October 5: Venus is 2.9° to the lower left of Regulus and 3.6° to the upper right of Rho Leonis (ρ Leo). Venus is nearly along a line that connects the two stars.
2020, October 6: Venus shines brightly from the eastern sky before sunrise. This morning it is 4.1° to the lower left of Regulus and 2.5° to the upper right of Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the chart.)
2020: October 7: Venus is 5.2° to the lower left of Regulus and 1.3° above Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the photo).
2020, October 8: Venus passes 0.5° to the upper left of ρ Leo.
Photo Caption 2020, October 12: The moon (overexposed in the image) is 10.5° to the upper right of Regulus. Venus is over 11° to the lower left of the star.
Photo Caption - 2020, October 13: The moon (26.0 days past New moon phase, 16% illuminated) – nearly 33° up in the east - is 8.8° above Venus, 24.0° up in the east. The crescent is 5.9° to the lower left of Regulus.
2020, October 16: Venus shines brightly in the eastern sky in front of the stars of Leo. In the starfield, the planet is 1.2° below Chi Leonis (χ Leo), 3.0° to the upper right of Sigma Leonis (σ Leo), and 5.3° to the right of Iota Leo (ι Leo). Denebola – the Tail of Leo – is over 12° to the lower left of the planet.
2020, October 24: Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines from the morning sky in front of the stars of Virgo. It is 1.9° above Beta Virginis (β Vir) and 3.4° to the lower right of Nu Virginis (ν Vir).
2020, November 2: One hour before sunrise, Venus is 4.0° to the upper right of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir) and 1.4° to the lower left of Eta Virginis (η Vir).
2020, November 7: About 40 minutes before sunrise, Mercury – low in the east-southeast – is 5.1° to the left of Spica. Brilliant Morning Star Venus gleams from higher in the sky.
2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir). Spica is 6.5° to the lower right of Venus, Mercury is hidden by clouds.
Photo Caption - 2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir).
2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir). Mercury is 12.9° to the lower left of Venus. Spica is behind clouds.
Photo Caption - 2020, November 13: Sparkling Venus – nearly 18° up in the east-southeast – is 8.1° to the upper right of the old moon and 5.5° to the upper left of Spica. The lunar crescent is 6.9° to the lower left of Spica and 5.1° above Mercury.
2020, November 16: Brilliant Venus shines in the east-southeast during morning twilight. It is 3.8° to the upper left of Spica and 13.0° to the upper right of Mercury.
Photo Caption - 2020, November 18: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, Venus is 4.3° to the left of Spica in the east-southeastern sky. Mercury is 13.4° to the lower left of Venus.
2020, November 20: Before sunrise, bright Venus is low in the east-southeast, 5.8° to the lower left of Spica. Mercury is low in the sky.
2020, November 23: Venus shines from the east-southeast before sunrise.
2020, November 28: Venus in the morning sky.
Photo Caption - 2020, December 1: Venus is 3.3° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi.
Photo Caption - 2020, December 2: One hour before sunrise, Venus is 2.2° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi .
Photo Caption - 2020, December 3: One hour before sunrise, Venus – low in the east-southeast – is 1.3° to the upper left of Zubenelgenubi.
Photo Caption - 2020, December 4: Brilliant Venus is 1.4° to the left of Zubenelgenubi.
2020, December 9, 2020: Venus low in the southeast.
Photo Caption - 2020, December 9: The crescent moon is over halfway up in the sky in the south-southeast. It is 3.3° to the upper right of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir, m = 3.4). It is above Spica and Venus.
Chart Caption - 2020, December 10, Venus, Moon, and Spica.
2020, December 10: Morning Star Venus is in front of the stars of Libra.
2020, December 11: One hour before sunrise, the crescent moon is to the upper right of brilliant Morning Star Venus.
Photo Caption - 2020, December 11: One hour before sunrise, the crescent moon is to the upper right of brilliant Morning Star Venus.
Venus makes a grand entrance into the morning sky after its inferior conjunction on June 3, 2020, at 12:44 p.m. CDT. It races into the morning sky and a week after conjunction it rises at Civil Twilight, 32 minutes before sunrise. After mid-June, Venus gleams from low in the east-northeast sky during mid-twilight. By early July, Venus is at its greatest brightness, rises before the beginning of twilight, and appears higher in the sky as sunrise approaches.
During July, Venus moves through the Hyades, with an Aldebaran conjunction on July 12. Watch the planet move through the star cluster with a binocular, during several mornings leading up to the Venus – Aldebaran conjunction.
On July 19, the lunar crescent and five planets are simultaneously spread across the sky with Jupiter low in the western sky and Mercury low in the eastern sky. Venus, Mars, and Saturn are scattered between them.
During August, Venus leaves Taurus, passes through the club and arm area of Orion and into Gemini. On August 15, see the moon join Venus.
Other highlights of the Venus apparition include a grouping with the Beehive cluster in mid-September that includes the crescent moon on September 14; two mornings in October when Venus is about 0.5° from Regulus; a widely spaced Venus – Spica conjunction during mid-November; and an extremely close conjunction with Beta Scorpii in December. Mercury makes an appearance during November, but the gaps with Venus are very wide. At the end of the apparition, Venus passes Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter. Although they are near the sun, attempt to view the Venus – Jupiter Epoch (close) Conjunction during the day.
Venus reaches its superior conjunction on March 26, 2021, then slowly moves into the evening sky.
December 24, 2023: The moon appears near the Pleiades star cluster during the earlier morning hours. Antares is at its first morning appearance, known as the heliacal rising.
December 22, 2023: Mercury is between Earth and Sun, known as inferior conjunction. Jupiter and the gibbous moon are celestial companions during nighttime hours.
December 24, 2023: The moon appears near the Pleiades star cluster during the earlier morning hours. Antares is at its first morning appearance, known as the heliacal rising.
December 22, 2023: Mercury is between Earth and Sun, known as inferior conjunction. Jupiter and the gibbous moon are celestial companions during nighttime hours.
December 21, 2023: Winter begins in the northern hemisphere. Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the evening sky three years after their Great Conjunction.
December 20, 2023: Brilliant Venus is in the southeast before daybreak. After nightfall the gibbous moon nears Jupiter in the southeast sky.
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This viewer observes a very brilliant morning star, Venus, at approximately 05:30 AM eastern daylight time from his home in the northern Virginia county of Fauquier.
December 24, 2023: The moon appears near the Pleiades star cluster during the earlier morning hours. Antares is at its first morning appearance, known as the heliacal rising.
December 23, 2023: Look for the planet Uranus and the Pleiades star cluster through a binocular during nighttime hours.
December 22, 2023: Mercury is between Earth and Sun, known as inferior conjunction. Jupiter and the gibbous moon are celestial companions during nighttime hours.
December 21, 2023: Winter begins in the northern hemisphere. Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the evening sky three years after their Great Conjunction.
December 20, 2023: Brilliant Venus is in the southeast before daybreak. After nightfall the gibbous moon nears Jupiter in the southeast sky.
This viewer observes a very brilliant morning star, Venus, at approximately 05:30 AM eastern daylight time from his home in the northern Virginia county of Fauquier.