2023, April 13: Morning Moon Approaches Saturn, Evening Three Planet Dance

April 13, 2023: The moon approaches Saturn before sunup.  Brilliant Venus, Mercury and Mars dance with the stars after sundown.

Venus and Mercury, March 12, 2018
Photo Caption – Venus and Mercury, March 12, 2018

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 6:14 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:29 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.  Times are calculated by the U.S. Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Summaries of Current Sky Events

SUMMARY FOR VENUS AS AN EVENING STAR

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

2023, April 13: The half-full morning moon approaches Saturn before sunrise.
Chart Caption – 2023, April 13: The half-full morning moon approaches Saturn before sunrise.

The moon is at Last Quarter phase at 4:11 a.m. CDT.  The morning half-full moon rises about an hour earlier and is low in the southeast.  By 45 minutes before daybreak, the lunar orb is less than 20° above the south-southeast horizon. 

Saturn is 40.0° to the lower left of the moon and over 10° above the east-southeast horizon.  The Ringed Wonder rises 105 minutes before sunrise and gains two minutes of rising time each morning.

Jupiter, after its solar conjunction, is slowly moving toward its first morning appearance next month.

Evening Sky

2023, April 13: Venus and Mercury are in the western sky after sundown.
Chart Caption – 2023, April 13: Venus and Mercury are in the western sky after sundown.

A bright three-planet dance is occurring in the evening sky.  Brilliant Venus is easily visible about 30° up in the west at 45 minutes after sundown.

2023, April 1-April 22: Venus moves from Aries into Taurus, passing the Pleiades and the Hyades.
Chart Caption – 2023, April 1-April 22: Venus moves from Aries into Taurus, passing the Pleiades and the Hyades.

The planet is stepping eastward through Taurus’ rich starfields.  This evening it is above an imaginary line from Aldebaran to the Pleiades star cluster.  The Evening Star is 3.8° to the upper left of the Pleiades and 9.8° to the lower right of Taurus’ brightest star.

2023, April 13: Venus and the Pleiades are in the same binocular field of view.
Chart Caption – 2023, April 13: Venus and the Pleiades are in the same binocular field of view.

Through a binocular, Venus and the star cluster fit into the same field of view.  Notice Venus’ location compared to the the star 37 Tauri (37 Tau on the chart). Their gap this evening is 0.6°.  Compare this separation to what you see tomorrow to gauge Venus’ eastward motion.

After its greatest separation from the sun, Mercury is less than 10° above the west-northwest horizon at this hour.  It fades in brightness, but it is visible without a binocular.  Use the optical assistance to initially find the planet.  It is brighter than Aldebaran, but lower in the blush of evening twilight.

Venus is closing a gap to Mars, over 35° to its upper left.  Earth’s Twin Planet moves eastward nearly twice as fast as Mars.  When does Venus overtake Mars.

2023, April 13: Mars is near Mebsuta and below Castor during the evening hours.
Chart Caption – 2023, April 13: Mars is near Mebsuta and below Castor during the evening hours.

While the Red Planet is below Castor, one of the Gemini Twins, when Mercury is easily seen, wait until the end of evening twilight, about 90 minutes after nightfall.  At that time, Mars is over halfway up in the west.

Gemini resembles two stick figures with arms around the other Twin.  Castor and Pollux mark the Twin’s heads.

Mars is marching eastward in front of the distant stars, 13.0° below Castor and 0.4° below Mebsuta.  Tomorrow, the planet passes that star.  Mars is generally moving toward Pollux, passing it in a wide conjunction on May 8th.

Mars fades in brightness from and increasing distance from our home planet.  This evening it is about the brightness of Pollux.

Continue to watch this dance of three bright planets in the evening sky.

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