2022, April 24: Crescent Moon, Morning Planets, Evening Mercury, Pleiades

Advertisements

April 24, 2022: The thick crescent moon approaches the four morning planets – Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn – in the east-southeast before sunrise. Mercury nears the Pleiades star cluster after sunset.

Chart Caption – 2022, April 24: The moon approaches the four morning planets.

PODCAST FOR THIS ARTICLE

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:57 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:42 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.

Morning Sky

SUMMARY OF PLANETS IN 2022 MORNING SKY

The waning crescent moon – 40% illuminated – joins the planet necklace this morning in the east-southeast before sunrise. The lunar orb is 9.0° to the lower right of Saturn.

In this jeweled-morning sky, Mars is 13.1° to the lower left of the Ringed Wonder.

The brightest gem is this morning’s display is brilliant Venus, nearly 9° up in the east-southeast, 13.6° to the lower left of Mars and over 34° to the lower left of the lunar crescent.

Venus is stepping toward Jupiter, over 6° above the eastern horizon and 5.8° to the lower left of Earth’s Twin Planet.

The four planets, from Jupiter to Saturn, span 34.7°.

Chart Caption – 2022, April 24: Venus and Jupiter fit into a binocular field this morning.

Venus and Jupiter easily fit into a binocular’s field of view. If held steadily, the binocular may show up to four of Jupiter’s largest satellites.

Venus continues to close on Jupiter for their close (proximate) conjunction in less than a week when Venus passes within 0.5° of the Jovian Giant.

Mars follows Venus at a slower eastward rate, catching Jupiter on May 29.

Tomorrow morning, the moon is farther eastward, to the lower left of Saturn and lower right of Mars.

Evening Sky

Chart Caption – 2022, April 24: Mercury is below the Pleiades star cluster after sunset.

Mercury is putting on its best evening exhibition of the year for northern hemisphere observers. Forty-five minutes after sunset, it is over 10° above the west-northwest horizon. The Pleiades star cluster is 5.9° to the upper left of the speedy planet.