2020, December 11: Moon Nears Venus

December 11, 2020: As sunrise approaches, the crescent moon is to the upper right of the brilliant planet Venus.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 7:09 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:20 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.

One hour before sunrise, the thin crescent moon is less than a third of the way up in the southeast.  It is nearly 9° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi, the Northern Claw.

At this hour brilliant Venus is lower in the sky, nearly 18° to the lower left of the lunar crescent.

The moon rises before 3:30 a.m. CST, about 4 hours before sunrise. Venus’ rising follows moonrise about 90 minutes later, over 2 hours before sunrise.  By an hour before sunrise, Venus is 10° above the horizon.  Find a location away from nearby terrestrial obstructions for a clear view of the southeast horizon.

With a binocular note that Venus is 3.0° to the lower right of Gamma Librae (γ Lib on the chart.

Tomorrow morning, the moon is over 4° to the upper right of the brilliant planet.  Get your cameras ready for a pretty display of Venus and razor-thin moon.

Detailed Note: One hour before sunrise, the crescent moon (26.3d, 14%) is about 25° up in the southeast, 8.8° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi.  Venus – 10° above the horizon – is nearly 18° to the lower left of the lunar arc and 3.0° to the lower right of γ Lib. 

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

Read more about the planets during December.