October 26, 2023: After sundown, Jupiter and Saturn bracket the bright gibbous moon.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 5:53 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Moonrise, 4:56 p.m. CDT; Moonset, 5:42 a.m. CDT (October 27)
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Brilliant Venus and Jupiter shine before sunrise. The Morning Star is in the eastern sky in front of Leo. Bright Jupiter is in the western sky.
Mercury and Mars are not visible today because they are in bright sunlight, setting after sunset.
Here is today’s highlight:
Two hours after sunset, look for the bright gibbous moon, 96% illuminated, one-third of the way up in the sky in the east-southeast. It is about midway between bright Jupiter and Saturn.
The Ringed Wonder is in the south-southeast, at a higher altitude – height above the horizon – than the lunar orb. It is nearly 20° above the star Fomalhaut, the mouth of the Southern Fish.
Bright Jupiter, appearing in the east, is about half the moon’s altitude. It is over 12° below Hamal, Aries’ brightest star.
Jupiter, Moon, and Saturn span over 70°. Jupiter and Saturn were close together in a Great Conjunction during 2020. Jupiter passes again in 2040. For the next several years, the gap between the two giant planets continues to widen.
The moon is with Jupiter in two evenings.
2023, October 26: Jupiter, Moon, and Saturn are visible, spanning over 70°, after sunset.
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