December 19, 2020: Brilliant Venus shines from low in the southeast among the stars of Scorpius. The planet rapidly moves through the constellation.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:14 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:22 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Venus 2-3 rises later each morning. This morning it rises less than 2 hours (113 minutes) before sunrise. By 45 minutes before sunrise it is less than 10° up in the southeast. It is now past Graffias (β Sco on the chart). Unlike slow-moving Jupiter and Saturn, Venus opened a big gap – 1.3° – with the star this morning. With a binocular note that Venus is near Nu Scorpii (ν Sco) and Omega1 Scorpii (ω1 Sco).
Detailed Note: Forty-five minutes before sunrise, Venus is less than 10° in altitude in the southeast, 1.3° to the lower left of β Sco, 0.5° to the lower right of ν Sco, and 1.2° to the left of ω1 Sco. Venus is below a line from ν Sco to ω1 Sco.
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.
2021, November 7: Venus, Moon Conjunction
November 7, 2021: During the early evening Venus and the moon group together in the southwest.
2021, November 6: Autumn’s Midpoint
November 6, 2021: The midpoint of Autumn occurs today.
2021, November 3: Unusual Mercury, Crescent Moon Spectacular
November 3, 2021: Before sunrise speedy planet Mercury, the crescent moon, and the star Spica are grouped together. The trio does not appear this close together again until 2033.
2021, October 31: NO Halloween Full Moon
October 31, 2021: There is no Halloween Full moon this year, and the phase is not close. The crescent moon is in the morning sky. Mercury is low in the east-southeast before sunrise. The planet pack – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – gleam in the evening sky.
2021, October 29: Venus, Greatest Elongation
October 29, 2021: Venus reaches its greatest elongation from the sun. It is in the evening sky with Jupiter and Saturn. The crescent moon and Mercury are in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Categories: Astronomy, Sky Watching
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