September 26, 2021: This morning a bright moon is between the Pleaides and Hyades star clusters.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:43 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:40 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Step outside about an hour before sunrise. The bright moon, 74% illuminated, brightens the morning landscape. It is between the Pleiades star cluster and the Hyades star cluster.
The Hyades makes the head of Taurus, the Bull. Aldebaran – “the follower” – makes the eye. That star is 7.5° to the left of the lunar orb. The Pleiades is about 6° to the upper right of the moon.
The moon and part of each star cluster fit into a binocular field of view. The binocular helps you find them. When the moon is moved outside the field, then each cluster is visible without the moon’s glare.
The planet pack – Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn – continue to gleam in the evening sky. Venus is in the southwest after sunset. Jupiter and Saturn are in the southeast.
Detailed Daily Note: One hour before sunrise, the bright moon (19.4d, 74%), high in the southwest, is between the Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran (α Tau, m = 0.8). The lunar orb is 6.1° to the lower left of Alcyone and 7.5° to the right of Aldebaran. The moon is at apogee at 4:44 p.m. CDT, 251,408.5 miles away. Forty-five minutes after sunset, brilliant Venus is over 8° above the southwest horizon, 3.7° to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi and 2.9° to the lower right of Iota Librae (ι Lib, m = 4.5). Venus continues its romp through the Classic Scorpion, 21.7° to the lower right of Aldebaran. Farther eastward, Jupiter is nearly 22° up in the southeast. Saturn, nearly 25° above the south-southeast horizon, is 16.0° to the upper right of Jupiter. Two hours after sunset, the Jovian Giant, one-third of the way up in the south-southeast, is 3.1° to the lower right of μ Cap, 1.6° to the upper right of Deneb Algedi, and 1.6° to the upper left of Nashira. Jupiter, δ Cap, and γ Cap nearly form an equilateral triangle. Saturn is nearly 29° above the southern horizon, east of the meridian. It is 1.3° to the lower right of υ Cap. As the calendar day closes, the moon (20.2d, 67%) is nearly 20° up in the east-northeast among the stars of Taurus.
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