November 22, 2020: The Great Conjunction countdown: 29 days. Jupiter and Saturn are paired together in the south-southwest as Jupiter approaches the Ringed Wonder. The gibbous moon is in the south. Mars resumes its eastward march in Pisces.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:49 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:24 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Three bright evening planets and the gibbous moon are visible in the sky after sunset. Jupiter and Saturn are in the south-southwest, while Mars is in the east-southeast as the sky darkens after sunset. The moon is in the south-southeast.
Jupiter and Saturn are 29 days away from their Great Conjunction. One hour after sunset, they are about a quarter way up in the sky in the south-southwest. Bright Jupiter looks like an overly bright star. Saturn is dimmer and 3.0° to Jupiter’s upper left.
Jupiter continues to close the gap on Saturn. Each evening the change is noticeable. With a binocular observe them each evening move compared to the star 56 Sagittarii (56 Sgr) on the chart. Saturn is 3.0° to the left of the star, while Jupiter is 1.9° to the lower left of 56 Sgr.
The moon is east of the Jupiter-Saturn pair. Notice it is over 16° to the upper left of Fomalhaut – the Mouth of the Fish – the brightest star in the Pisces Austrinus, the southern fish. The star appears in the evening sky after sunset each autumn.
Mars is farther east from the moon. It is over one-third of the way up in the east-southeast. It is moving eastward each night in front of the stars of Pisces. The Red Planet is 2.5° to the lower right of Epsilon Piscium (ε Psc on the chart) and 2.9° to the lower left of Delta Piscium (δ Psc), two dim stars. Use a binocular to spot the starfield behind Mars.
Mars is picking up eastward speed after its retrograde motion ended over a week ago. Retrograde motion is an illusion as Earth passes the planets farther from the sun. It’s been “hanging around” ε Psc and δ Psc for several days as its retrograde motion ended and it resumed its eastward march.
For more about Mars during November, see this article.
Detailed note: One hour after sunset, the slightly gibbous moon (7.8d, 58%) – over 32° up in the south-southeast – is 2.3° to the upper left of Delta Aquarii (δ Aqr, m =3.2). Look carefully to note that the moon is over 16° to the upper left of Fomalhaut (α PsA, m = 1.2). Farther eastward, Mars (m = −1.4) is over 33° up in the east-southeast. Moving eastward in Pisces, it is 2.5° to the lower right of ε Psc and 2.9° to the lower left of δ Psc. Jupiter is about 21° up in the south-southwest with Saturn 3.0° to its upper left. Twenty-nine days until the Great Conjunction. In the starfield, Jupiter is 1.9° to the lower left of 56 Sgr and 3.7° to the upper left of 52 Sgr. Saturn is 3.0° to the left of 56 Sgr.
For more about the Great Conjunction, read our feature article. This is the closest Jupiter – Saturn conjunction since 1623.
Read more about the planets during November.
2020, December 4: Morning Star Venus, Gibbous Moon, Evening Planet Dance
In the morning sky brilliant Morning Star Venus waltzes through Libra near Zubenelgenubi in the east-southeast. Venus is “that bright star” in the eastern sky before sunrise. The bright gibbous moon shines near the Gemini Twins in the western sky. In the evening sky, Mars – in the east-southeast – marches through Pisces. Jupiter closes the gap on Saturn as a prelude dance to the Great Conjunction, 17 evenings away.
2020, December 3: Morning Star Venus in East, Evening Planet Dance
Brilliant Morning Star Venus waltzes eastward among the stars of Libra. It is near the star Zubenelgenubi. Farther west, the bright gibbous moon is near the middle of Gemini beneath the Twins. In the evening, Mars dances eastward among the dim stars of Pisces. Jupiter closes the gap on Saturn as a prelude dance to the Great Conjunction, 18 evenings away.
2020, December 2: Morning Star Venus, Moon in Gemini, Evening Planet Dance
Brilliant Morning Star Venus shines from the east-southeast before sunrise among the stars of Libra and near Zubenelgenubi. The bright gibbous moon is in the west at the feet of the Gemini Twins. After sunset, Mars is in the east-southeast, while Jupiter closes in on Saturn before the Great Conjunction in 19 days.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
