February 16, 2022: The second Venus – Mars conjunction of a triple conjunction occurs this morning. Mercury is at greatest elongation. The nearly-full moon is in the west-northwest before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:45 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:25 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Morning Sky
SUMMARY OF PLANETS IN 2022 MORNING SKY
Mars passes brilliant Venus for the second meeting of a triple conjunction. The planets are 6.2° apart, a rather wide conjunction.
The first conjunction occurred July 12, 2021, when Mars was leaving the evening sky before its solar conjunction on October 7. Venus was in its evening appearance.
Mars slowly crawled into the morning sky. It was low in the southeast as the new year began.
Venus began to retrograde – move westward compared to the stars – on December 18. It rapidly left the evening sky and passed its solar conjunction on January 8, racing into the morning sky. The brilliant planet retrograded until January 30.
Meanwhile, Mars marched eastward through Sagittarius, slowly closing in on the Morning Star.
As Venus slowly picks up its eastward speed, compared to the stars, Mars passes this morning in a wide conjunction.
The gap is wide because Venus appears nearly 6° above the ecliptic, while Mars is slightly below the solar system’s plane.
As Venus speeds up, it passes Mars for the third conjunction in the series on March 6.
This morning, find brilliant Venus over 15° up in the southeast. Its brilliance rivals airplane lights. Dimmer Mars is 6.2° to the lower right of Venus.
Mercury reaches its greatest elongation from the sun today. The planet is usually a challenge to see. Today it is the farthest from the sun that we see it as it rounds the extent of its orbit and moves toward the far side of the sun.
Even at this greatest elongation, the planet is low in the sky at 45 minutes before sunrise, over 15° to the lower left of Venus and less than 5° above the horizon.
At this hour, the moon is nearly 12° up in the west-northwest, 6.4° to the right of Regulus. The moon is Full at 10:56 a.m. CST today.
Evening Sky
Jupiter is reaching the end of its visibility at forty-five minutes after sunset. It is only 3° above the west-southwest horizon.
At this hour, the moon is low in the east-northeastern sky.
A large planet dance shifts to the morning sky.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, April 16: Venus and Jupiter After Sunset, Moon Near New Phase in Morning Twilight
April 16, 2026: Venus shines in the west-northwest after sunset while Jupiter stands high in the west-southwest. The moon nears New phase, hidden in bright morning twilight. - 2026, April 15: Venus and Jupiter After Sunset, Crescent Moon Low Before Sunrise
April 15, 2026: Venus and Jupiter shine after sunset while a thin crescent moon sits low before sunrise. Track Venus moving toward the Pleiades and Aldebaran. - 2026, April 14: Venus Dominates the Evening Sky with Sirius and Orion
April 14, 2026: Venus shines brightly after sunset while Sirius twinkles in the southwest. Orion stands between them as the spring sky shifts westward each evening. - 2026, April 13: Venus and Jupiter Shine After Sunset While Crescent Moon Appears Before Sunrise
April 13, 2026: Venus dominates the western sky after sunset while Jupiter shines higher in the sky. Before sunrise, find a waning crescent moon with earthshine in the east-southeast. - 2026, April 12-14: Waning Crescent Moon and Earthshine Before Sunrise
April 12-14, 2026: The waning crescent moon appears low in the southeast before sunrise. Watch it pass Deneb Algedi and photograph earthshine during the final mornings before new moon.