December 17, 2020: Jupiter and Saturn appear again with the crescent moon although the moon’s spacing is larger than last night. Jupiter continues to close in on Saturn. Great Conjunction Countdown: 4 days!
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:13 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:21 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Jupiter slowly closes the gap to Saturn. Find them in the southwest, beginning about 45 minutes after sunset. Jupiter is the bright “star” low in the sky. Saturn is to the upper left of its brighter companion.
The planets are closer in the sky than the moon’s apparent size. Extend a pinky finger to arm’s length. The tip of your finger covers both planets. It’s not often that two planets appear this close in the sky.
Great Conjunction Countdown: 4 days!
This evening the crescent moon, that is 13% illuminated, is to the upper left of Jupiter and Saturn.
Farther east, Mars marches eastward in front of the stars of Pisces. It is moving away from Zeta Piscium (ζ Psc on the chart) and Epsilon Piscium (ε Psc).
The Red Planet is over halfway up in the southeast as night falls. The planet is south about three hours after sunset. It sets in the west a few hours after midnight and over five hours before sunrise.
Read about Mars during December.
Detailed note: Forty-five minutes after sunset, Jupiter is nearly 16° up in the southwest, 0.4° to the lower right of Saturn. Great Conjunction Countdown: 4 days. The lunar crescent (3.3d, 13%) is over 10° to the upper left of Jupiter. As the sky darkens further, Mars is over 47° up in the southeast, 1.8° to the upper left of ζ Psc and 4.0° to the lower left of ε Psc
For more about the Great Conjunction, read our feature article. This is the closest Jupiter – Saturn conjunction since 1623.
Read more about the planets during December.
2021, April 21: Evening Star Venus, Gibbous Moon, Mars
April 21, 2021: Evening Star is making its first appearance in the west-northwest shortly after sunset. The gibbous moon is near Leo, while Mars is near the foot of Castor.
2021, April 21: Morning Planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Capricornus
April 21, 2021: Jupiter and Saturn are the bright morning planets in the southeast before sunrise. The stars are in front of the backdrop of Capricornus. The constellation looks like an oversized boomerang or stealth fighter.
2021, April 20: Venus, Gibbous Moon, Mars, Evening Wonders
April 20, 2021: Venus is very low in the west-northwest after sunset. The gibbous moon is in Cancer, between Regulus and Pollux. Mars, above the horns of Taurus, approaches the star cluster Messier 35.
2021, April 20: Bright Jupiter, Saturn, Morning Planets
April 20, 2021: Bright Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeastern sky before sunrise, gently moving eastward compared to the starry backdrop of Capricornus.
2021, April 19: First Evening Appearance of Venus
April 19, 2021: The first evening appearance of Venus for this apparition occurs this evening. Look for it low in the west-northwest about 20 minutes after sunset.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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