The bright gibbous moon is near the moon and Morning Star Venus sparkles in the east before sunrise. Venus is “that bright star” in the east during morning twilight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
About 4 a.m. CDT, the moon appeared 7.2° to the upper left of Mars. The sky cleared during the night, revealing a bright morning with the moon in the west. Orion and Sirius are in the south.
Mars is retrograding – moving westward compared to the background stars. This is an illusion from Earth passing and moving away from the planet. Mars resumes its eastward motion compared to the stars on November 13.
Later, after the moon set, Venus sparkled in the east. The date is nearing when Mars sets before Venus rises.
Venus is stepping eastward among the stars of Virgo. This morning, it is 2.1° above Eta Virginis (η Vir on the photo) and 5.5° to the lower left of Beta Virginis (β Vir).
See our summary about Venus during October 2020 and the feature article about Venus as a Morning Star.
Read more about the planets during October and November.
2021, August 11: Waxing Moon, Evening Star
August 11, 2021: The waxing crescent moon is to the upper left of Evening Star Venus this evening in the western sky.
2021, August 10: Evening Star Venus, Crescent Moon
August 10, 2021: The crescent moon is near Venus in the western sky after sunset.
2021, August 9: Evening Moon, Mars
August 9, 2021: After the New moon yesterday morning, the crescent moon appears in the evening sky during bright twilight near Mars.
2021, August 3: Four Evening Planets: Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter
August 3, 2021: Four planets appear in the evening sky. Brilliant Evening Star Venus and dim Mars are in the west after sunset. A little later during the evening, Saturn and Jupiter are easily visible in the southeast.
2021, August 2: Saturn at Opposition
August 2, 2021: Saturn is at opposition with the sun. Earth is between the sun and the planet.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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