2020, November 19: Morning Star Venus, Spica, Mercury

Venus, Mercury, Spica, November 18, 2020
2020, November 19: Venus – above the east-southeastern horizon before sunrise – is 5.0° to the lower left of Spica and 0.4° to the lower left of 82 Vir. Mercury is about 7° in altitude and nearly 14° to the lower left of Venus.

November 19, 2020: Brilliant Morning Star Venus, the star Spica, and Mercury are in the east- southeastern sky before sunrise.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 6:46 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:26 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.

Brilliant Morning Star Venus – rising nearly 2 hours, 40 minutes before sunrise – is in the east-southeast as morning twilight brightens.  This morning the planet is 5.0° to the lower left of Spica.  With a binocular notice that it is 0.4° to the lower left of the star 82 Virginis (82 Vir on the chart).

At 45 minutes before sunrise, Mercury is over 13° to the lower left of Venus.  It is low in the sky in the east-southeast, perhaps behind a neighbor’s house or other obstruction.  It is bright enough to be seen without optical aid.

Detailed note: One hour before sunrise, Venus – over 16° in altitude in the east-southeast – is 5.0° to the lower left of Spica and 0.4° to the lower left of 82 Vir. The Venus – Mercury gap is 13.6° with Mercury to the lower left of the brilliant planet.  Fifteen minutes later, Mercury is nearly 7° in altitude above the east-southeast horizon.

See our summary about Venus during November 2020 and the feature article  about Venus as a Morning Star.

Read more about the planets during November.

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