Brilliant Venus and Mars shine in the morning sky. Venus is in Orion and the gibbous moon appears near Mars.
2020, August 8: Brilliant Venus is 0.5° to the upper right of Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori).
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
This morning, Venus reaches its earliest rising time (2:25 a.m. CDT, Chicago, Illinois). It rises at this time through August 17. This morning it is in the club area of Orion. The brilliant planet is 0.5° below Chi2 Orionis (χ2 Ori on the photo). With a binocular, watch it move farther from the star, toward the lower left in the photo.
This time is short to see four planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus, along with the moon – until next year. An early observation, about 30 minutes after Venus rises, is needed too see them spread across the sky from the east-northeast horizon to the southwest skyline.
2020, August 9: Mars is 1.2° to the upper left of the gibbous moon.
Mars and the moon are together this morning in the constellation Pisces. The lunar orb is 1.2° to the lower left of the Red Planet. Without a telescope, the bright planets resemble overly bright stars. Through a telescope, the planets’ details are observed.
Mars is marching eastward. In about a month, Mars reverses its direction and starts to retrograde, an illusion caused by our faster moving world overtaking the slower moving Mars.
On the morning of August 12, view the annual Perseid meteor shower. While a brighter moon outshines the dimmer meteors, five or six meteors are visible each hour on the prime morning.
The first sightings of Sirius by the unaided eye occur this week about 45 minutes before sunrise.
Here is a daily summary about the planets during August.
2020: February 14, Jupiter emerges into the morning sky.
2020, February 23: Saturn begins to appear in the morning sky with Jupiter and Mars
2020, March 2: The morning planets span nearly 18° across the southeast horizon.
2020, March 7: The morning planets span 15.0°.
Photo Caption - 2020, March 17: The moon approaches Jupiter and Mars as Mars closes in for its March 20 conjunction with Jupiter.
2020, March 30: Mars is 1.2° to the lower right of Saturn.
2020, April 2: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars span 7.3°.
2020, April 6: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars planets span 9.6°.
2020, April 9: The three planets are equally spaced along the ecliptic. Saturn is 5.7° from Jupiter and Mars.
2020, April 10: The three planets – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars – span 11.9°.
2020, April 14: Slightly gibbous moon, 21.0 days past new and 55% illuminated joins the morning planets.
2020, April 16: The moon is 3.8° to the lower left of Mars. The morning planets span 15.1°.
2020, April 18: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars span 16.7°.
2020, April 21: This morning the Bright Outer Planets span 18.6°.
2020, April 27: The three bright outer planets – Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars shine from the southeastern sky this morning. The planets span 22.4°.
2020, May 1: The morning planets span 25°. Jupiter and Saturn are 4.9° apart.
Photo Caption - 2020, May 2: The three morning planets span over 25°. Jupiter and Saturn are 4.8° apart.
2020, May 4: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars span nearly 27° in the sky.
2020, May 6: The morning planets span over 28°. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 4.8°.
2020, May 7: This morning Jupiter, Saturn and Mars span nearly 29°. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 4.7°.
2020, May 9: Saturn is 4.7° to the left of Jupiter. Mars is over 30° east (left) of Jupiter.
2020, May 12: The moon joins the morning planets, The gibbous moon is 3.1° to the lower right of Jupiter and 6.1° to the lower right of Saturn. Mars is farther east.
Photo Caption - 2020: May 13: The gibbous moon appears 8.7° to the lower left of Saturn. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 4.7°.
2020, May 24: Jupiter and Saturn are 4.7° apart as they shine from the southern skies. Mars is 40° to the east of Jupiter. It appears in the southeast.
2020, May 27: Jupiter and Saturn are 4.7° apart in the southern sky. Mars is farther eastward, over 40° from Jupiter, in the southeast sky.
2020, May 30: Jupiter and Saturn are 4.8° apart in the south. They are retrograding. Mars is in the southeast among the stars of Aquarius.
2020, May 31: May closes with the morning planets arcing across the southern sky. Jupiter is 4.8° from Saturn, while Mars is over 45° from Jupiter.
2020, June 2: The morning planets are in the southern sky. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 4.8°. Mars is nearly 47° to the east of Jupiter.
2020, June 5: Jupiter is 4.9° to the lower right of Saturn. Mars is over 49° to the east of Jupiter.
2020, June 8: The moon (overexposed) is 5.8° to the right of Jupiter that is 5.0° to the lower right of Saturn. Mars is in the southeast, over 50° to the east of Jupiter.
2020, June 11: The gibbous moon appears between Saturn and Mars. The Mars – Jupiter gap is about 54°. Jupiter and Saturn are 5.1° apart.
2020, June 12: The slight gibbous moon appears near Mars. The Red Planet is over 54° from Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturn are 5.1° apart. Both are retrograding.
2020, June 13: The Last Quarter moon is 4.9° to the lower left of Mars. Farther westward, Jupiter and Saturn are 5.2° apart as they retrograde.
2020, June 15: The bright morning planets are visible across the southern horizon. Jupiter and Saturn are 5.3° apart in the southwest.
2020, June 16: Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter appear in the southern sky. Mars is 57° from Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturn are 5.3° apart. They are retrograding in eastern Sagittarius.
2020, June 18: The three Bright Outer Planets – Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter – appear in the southern sky. Jupiter is 5.4° to the lower right of Saturn. Mars is farther east, over 58° from Jupiter.
2020, June 19: Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter appear in the southern sky. Mars is 58° from Jupiter. Jupiter and Saturn are retrograding. They are 5.4° apart.
Photo Caption - 2020, June 22: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars arch across the southern sky before sunrise. The Jupiter Saturn gap is 5.6°. Mars is 62° from Jupiter.
2020, June 24: Jupiter is 5.7° to the lower right of Saturn. Jupiter begins to pass 56 Sagittarii. When the image is magnified, two of Jupiter’s moons are visible.
2020, June 25: Jupiter is 5.7° to the lower right of Saturn and 1.7° below 56 Sgr. Saturn is 2.6° to the lower right of σ Cap.
2020, June 28: The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 5.9°. Jupiter is 1.9° below 56 Sagittarii, while Saturn is 2.8° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni.
2020, June 29: Jupiter and Saturn appear in the south-southwest during early morning twilight. The planets are 5.9° apart as they retrograde in eastern Sagittarius.
2020, July 1: The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 6.0° as the planetary pair retrogrades in eastern Sagittarius. No stars this morning for an overcast sky.
2020: July 2: Jupiter and Saturn appear in the southwest during early morning twilight. Jupiter is 2.1° below 56 Sgr, while Saturn is 3.0° from σ Cap.
2020, July 3: Jupiter and Saturn are in the south-southwest during early morning twilight. Jupiter is 2.2° below 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr) while Saturn is 3.1° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
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)
Chart Caption - 2020, July 5: The nearly full moon appears over 8° to the lower right of Jupiter. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 6.2°.
2020, July 6: The bright moon is 3.2° to the lower left of Saturn and 6.4° to the left of bright Jupiter. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 6.3°.
2020, July 7: The bright gibbous is over 13° to the left of Saturn. The Jupiter – Saturn gap is 6.4°. The planets are retrograding in eastern Sagittarius.
2020, July 9: Jupiter and Saturn, 6.5° apart are retrograding in eastern Sagittarius. This morning Jupiter is 2.8° below 56 Sgr. Saturn is 3.5° to the lower right of σ Cap. The photo shows Ganymede and Europa to the upper left of Jupiter and Io to the lower right of the planet.
2020, July 11: Jupiter shines from the southwest. Saturn is 6.6° to Jupiter’s upper left. In the starfield, Jupiter is 3.0° below 56 Sgr. Saturn is 3.6° to the lower right of σ Cap.
2020, July 13: Jupiter is 3.3° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr). Saturn is 3.8° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
2020, July 14: Saturn is 6.8° to the upper left of the Jupiter. Jupiter 3.4° is to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.9° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
2020, July 17: Jupiter is 3.7° to the lower right of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr) and 1.6° to the upper left of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr). Saturn is 4.1° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
2020, July 20: Saturn and brighter Jupiter appear in the southwest among the stars of Sagittarius. Jupiter is 4.0° to the lower right 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr), while Saturn is 4.3° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
2020, July 23: Jupiter is 7.2° to the lower right of Saturn. Jupiter is 1.0° to the upper left of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr, m = 5.6), while Saturn is 4.5° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap, m = 5.2).
2020, July 24: Bright Jupiter and Saturn appear in the southwest in the hours before bright morning twilight brightens the sky. This morning Jupiter is 0.9° to the left of the star 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr on the photo above) and 4.8° to the upper left of Pi Sagittarii (π Sgr). Saturn is 3.5° to the upper left of 56 Sgr and 4.6° to the lower right of σ Cap.
Photo Caption - 2020, July 25: Jupiter and Saturn, 7.3° apart, are retrograding in eastern Sagittarius. Jupiter is 0.8° to the left of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.5° to the upper left of 56 Sagittarii and 4.7° to the lower right of Sigma Capricorni (σ Cap).
2020, July 26: Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southwest during morning hours, they are 7.3° apart. Jupiter is 0.7° to the left of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr). Saturn is 3.4° to the upper left of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr). Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is visible.
2020, July 28: Jupiter is 0.6° to the left of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr), while Saturn is 3.3° to the upper left of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr).
2020, August 4: Appearing low in the southwest, Jupiter and Saturn are disappearing from the early morning sky. This morning, Saturn is 7.8° to the upper left of Jupiter.
2020, August 4: About 70 minutes after sunset, Jupiter is 0.8° to the lower right of 50 Sagittarii (50 Sgr) and 3.6° to the lower left of Pi Sagittarii (π Sgr). Meanwhile, Saturn is 2.8° to the lower left of 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr).
