Brilliant Morning Star Venus appears above the crescent moon on October 14, 2020.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Before sunrise on October 14, the brilliant planet Venus and the crescent moon appear in the eastern sky along with the star Regulus.
Venus is moving eastward in front of the stars of Leo the Lion.
The chart above displays the moon, Venus and two bright stars of Leo – Regulus and Denebola. Regulus is portrayed as the Lion’s Heart, while Denebola marks the Tail.
See our summary about Venus during October 2020 and the feature article about Venus as a Morning Star.
On the chart above, Venus is less than one-third of the way up in the eastern sky. The moon, 27.0 days past the New phase and only 8% illuminated, is 6.6° to the lower left of Venus. Venus is over 13° to the lower left of Regulus.
Photographers can capture “earthshine” on the night portion of the moon. Reflected sunlight from Earth gently illuminates the lunar night. The effect appears on photographs of few seconds.
Here’s the guide for the planets tomorrow (October 15, 2020).
Read more about the planets during October.
2021, November 3: Unusual Mercury, Crescent Moon Spectacular
November 3, 2021: Before sunrise speedy planet Mercury, the crescent moon, and the star Spica are grouped together. The trio does not appear this close together again until 2033.
2021, October 31: NO Halloween Full Moon
October 31, 2021: There is no Halloween Full moon this year, and the phase is not close. The crescent moon is in the morning sky. Mercury is low in the east-southeast before sunrise. The planet pack – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – gleam in the evening sky.
2021, October 29: Venus, Greatest Elongation
October 29, 2021: Venus reaches its greatest elongation from the sun. It is in the evening sky with Jupiter and Saturn. The crescent moon and Mercury are in the eastern sky before sunrise.
2021, October 29 – November 1, Lion Moon
October 29 – November 1, 2021: The crescent moon moves in front of the stars of Leo in the eastern sky before sunrise. Watch the moon appear lower and the phase shrink (wane) each morning. Also note that there is no Full moon on Halloween this year!
2021, October 26-28: Morning Gemini Moon
October 26, 27, and 28, 2021: During the early morning hours, the bright gibbous moon appears in front of Gemini’s stars.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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