December 16, 2020: Just days before the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the evening sky, Morning Star Venus nears the star Graffias for a very close conjunction in two mornings.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:12 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:21 p.m. CST. (Daylight length is 7 hours, 9 minutes.) Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Brilliant Morning Star Venus appears low in the southeast before sunrise this morning. In two mornings, it passes very close to the star Graffias (β Sco on the chart), the Crab.
This morning Venus is 2.4° to the upper right of Graffias. A binocular may initially help you find the star as the sky brightens. Start looking about an hour before sunrise.
In two mornings, Venus passes 0.1° from the star. This is about the Jupiter – Saturn separation at the Great Conjunction on December 21.
Detailed Summary: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, Venus is nearly 11° up in the southeast. It is 2.4° to the upper right of β Sco. Use a binocular to see the planet in the starfield of Scorpius.
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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