February 1, 2023: Mercury is visible in the southeast before sunrise. Brilliant Venus and Bright Jupiter are in the southwestern sky after sundown, while Mars and the moon are in the east.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:03 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:06 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location. Times are calculated from the U.S. Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot’s transit times, when it is in the center of the planet in the southern hemisphere: 1:12 UT, 11:08 UT, 21:04 UT. Convert the time to your time zone. In the US, subtract five hours for EST, six hours for CST, and so on. Use a telescope to see the spot. Times are from Sky & Telescope magazine.
The sun is in the sky for more than 10 hours each day. Daylight gains 80 minutes by month’s end.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mercury is leaving the southeastern morning sky before sunrise. It is heading toward a solar conjunction on March 17th and then to its best evening appearance of the year.
This morning at 45 minutes before sunup, the planet is over 5° above the southeast horizon. It is bright, but low in the sky. Find the planet with a binocular then look for it without the optical assistance. We will say “Goodbye!” to the planet soon.
Evening Sky
Three bright planets are in the evening sky after sundown. Brilliant Venus and Jupiter are in the southwestern sky at 45 minutes after the sun sets. They are the two brightest starlike objects in the sky tonight, considerably brighter than Sirius, the brightest star.
Find Venus nearly 15° above the west-southwest horizon. Do not confuse it for lights on an airplane.
Bright Jupiter is nearly 40° up in the southwest, nearly 29° to the upper left of Venus.
Venus passes Jupiter on March 1st. From February 20th through March 11th, the planets are within 10° of each other. From thumb knuckle to pinky knuckle, your fist covers about 10° when your arm is extended. The two brightest starlike bodies appear close together for several nights before and after the conjunction.
Farther eastward, the bright moon, 88% illuminated, is halfway up in the east, at the feet of Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins. The lunar orb is over 20° to the lower left of Mars.
The Red Planet is marching eastward in Taurus, 8.2° to the upper left of Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star. With this bright moonlight, the Bull’s dimmer stars are difficult to see. Perhaps Aldebaran and Elnath – the northern horn – are the only two stars visible without a binocular.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, September 24: Venus in Bright Twilight While the Harvest Moon Nears Saturn
September 24, 2026: Brilliant Venus shines through bright twilight while the Harvest Moon approaches Saturn. Before sunrise, Jupiter dominates the morning sky and Mars aligns with Castor and Pollux. - 2026, September 23: Venus at Greatest Brilliancy
September 23, 2026: Venus reaches greatest brilliancy tonight as it moves toward inferior conjunction on October 23. Look for the brilliant Evening Star low in the west-southwest during evening twilight. - 2026, September 22: Autumnal Equinox 2026: Daylight, the Ecliptic, and the Harvest Moon Effect
September 22, 2026: The autumnal equinox occurs today. Learn why daylight and darkness are not exactly equal, how the ecliptic changes angle with the horizon, and why the Harvest Moon rises at nearly the same time each evening. - 2026, September 21: Harvest Moon Nights Begin as Venus and Jupiter Dominate the Sky
September 21, 2026: Venus nears its greatest brilliancy while the Harvest Moon grows brighter each evening. Saturn rises earlier as opposition approaches, and Jupiter and Mars dominate the predawn sky. - 2026, September 19-23: Moon Waxes Toward Harvest Moon
September 19-23, 2026: The Waxing Gibbous Moon appears farther eastward in front of Sagittarius and Capricornus as the Harvest Moon approaches.