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.
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