November 23 2020: Brilliant Morning Star Venus and Mercury shine from the east-southeast before sunrise. Venus is stepping eastward in Virgo, to the lower left of Spica. Mercury is becoming more difficult to see as it shines from near the horizon to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:50 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:24 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
About an hour before sunrise, Venus is low in the east-southeast. It is stepping eastward in Virgo, to the lower left of Spica. It is near the dim star Kappa Virginis (κ Vir). Mercury is completing its best morning appearance of the year, and shines from low in the east-southeast, nearly 15° to the lower left of Venus.
Looking through a binocular, you can see Venus 2.6° to the upper right of κ Vir, while Mercury is 2.1° to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi.
Look for Mercury about 45 minutes before sunrise. It is very low in the east-southeast.
Detailed note: One hour before sunrise, Venus is 15.0° in altitude in the east-southeast, 2.6° to the upper right of κ Vir. Fifteen minutes later, Mercury is nearly 5° up in the east-southeast, 2.1° to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi. The Venus – Mercury gap is 14.7°.
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.
2021, November 8: Venus, Moon With Sagittarius
November 8, 2021: Brilliant Evening Star and the crescent moon shine among the stars of Sagittarius after sunset. Bright Mercury is a challenging view before sunrise.
2021, November 7: Venus, Moon Conjunction
November 7, 2021: During the early evening Venus and the moon group together in the southwest.
2021, November 6: Autumn’s Midpoint
November 6, 2021: The midpoint of Autumn occurs today.
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.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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