December 13, 2020: The old crescent moon is low in the east-southeast before sunrise. Venus looks on to the upper right of the moon.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:10 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:20 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
This morning, the old crescent moon is about 10° to the lower left of Venus. The moon is very low in the sky. Find a clear horizon toward the southeast. The moon is only about 4° in altitude. The chart above shows the scene about 45 minutes before sunrise.
Detailed Note: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, Venus is about 12° up in the southeast. The razor-thin, crescent moon (28.3d, 2%) – only about 4° up in the east-southeast – is 9.5° to the lower left of Venus.
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.
RECENT ARTICLES
2023, January 2: Morning’s Western Stars, Evening Planets, Moon
January 2, 2023: Bright winter stars are in the western sky before sunrise. After sundown, four planets, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, along with the moon are visible.
Keep reading
2023, January 1: Morning Scorpion, Four Bright Evening Planets, Moon
January 1, 2023: The Scorpion crawls into the southeastern sky before sunrise. After sunset, four bright planets and gibbous moon are along an arc across the sky.
Keep reading
2022, December 31: Goodbye, Mercury, Morning Galaxies, Evening Planets
December 31, 2022: Mercury begins to depart the evening sky, leaving four bright planets – Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars on display for New Year’s Eve.
Keep reading