Morning Star Venus steps through Leo during October in the eastern sky near the star Regulus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Brilliant Venus is “that bright star” in the eastern sky before sunrise during October.
The planet shines from in front of the stars of Leo. This morning it was 4.1° to the lower left of Regulus and 2.5° to the upper right of Rho Leonis (ρ Leo on the chart.)
See our summary about Venus during October 2020 and the feature article about Venus as a Morning Star.
Each morning look at Venus and the nearby starfield with a binocular as the planet steps away from Regulus and toward ρ Leo.
Watch Venus continue to move through Leo during most of October.
The moon is in the region with Venus and Regulus beginning October 12.
Read more about the planets during October.
2021, June 15: Moon, Sickle of Leo
June 15, 2021: The moon is with the Sickle of Leo this evening. Step outside about an hour after sunset to find the crescent moon that is about 30% illuminated over one-third of the way up in the west.
2021, July 12: Venus – Mars Conjunction
July 12, 2021: Venus – Mars conjunction evening. Evening Star Venus passes 0.5° to the upper right of the Red Planet. The crescent moon is nearby. This is the first of three conjunctions of Venus and Mars – a triple conjunction.
2021, July 1, Saturn – Mars Opposition
July 1, 2021: Saturn and Mars are in opposite directions in the sky. Mars sets as Saturn rises. In about a week, the two planets are visible in the sky at the same time. This event signals that the planet parade is starting to reorganize. During July, three other planet – planet oppositions occur, leading up to a challenging view of the five bright planets during mid-August.
2021, June 13: Moon Passes Mars
June 13, 2021: After sunset, look for the thin crescent moon near Mars. The lunar sliver is also to the upper left of the star Pollux.
2021, June 11: Venus – Moon Conjunction
June 11, 2021: During the early evening brilliant Evening Star Venus and the crescent moon appear together in the west-northwest after sunset. The pairing is the second closest during this appearance of Venus in the evening sky.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
Leave a Reply Cancel reply