2023, November 1:  Venus-Denebola Conjunction, Gored Moon

November 1, 2023: Venus passes Denebola this morning in a wide conjunction.  The moon appears stuck on the Bull’s horn.

Moon in the Bull's Horns. October 8, 2020
2020, October 8: Among the stars along the ecliptic, the gibbous moon, overexposed and behind the tree leaves, is 3.3° to the upper left of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of Taurus, and nearly 7° to the lower left of Elnath, the Northern Horn.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois:  Sunrise, 7:23 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 5:45 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

2023, November 1: Venus passes Denebola, the Lion’s tail, in the east-southeast during morning twilight.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Venus passes Denebola, the Lion’s tail, in the east-southeast during morning twilight.

Step outside an hour before sunrise.  Brilliant Venus, rising nearly four hours before sunrise, stands over 30° above the east-southeast horizon.  This morning it passes 11.6° to the lower right of Denebola, the Lion’s tail, in a wide conjunction. Venus and the star are too far apart to fit into the same binocular field of view.

During October, the planet’s eastward dance through Leo was easy to watch.  It passed Regulus, the pattern’s brightest star, October 9th.  Over three weeks later it passes the tail star and moves into Virgo in two mornings.

2023, November 1: Before sunrise, the gibbous moon is near Elnath, Taurus’ northern horn.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Before sunrise, the gibbous moon is near Elnath, Taurus’ northern horn.

Farther westward, the gibbous moon, 85% illuminated, is over halfway up in the west-southwest.  It is 1.6° to the upper left of Elnath, the Bull’s northern horn, as if it is impaled by the charging animal.  In celestial artwork, this is a precarious place.

Zeta Tauri, the southern horn, is 6.5° to the lower left of the lunar orb.  Use a binocular to see the stars easier in this moonlight.

2023, November 1: Jupiter is low in the west between Hamal and Menkar before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Jupiter is low in the west between Hamal and Menkar before daybreak.

Bright Jupiter is below the moon and less than 15° above the western horizon.  As it nears opposition in two mornings, the planet is retrograding, appearing to move westward against the starfield.  It is 11.7° to the lower left of Hamal and 11.8° from Menkar.

At opposition, Jupiter rises into the eastern sky as the sunsets and sets in the west as the sun rises.  The planet is bright enough to be seen near the horizon, with an unobstructed view.  Later this month, the planet is no longer visible at this time interval.

Additionally, the gap from Venus to Jupiter continues to widen. This morning, they are nearly 132° apart.  On December 10th, they are 180° apart. Venus rises as Jupiter sets.  This is a planet-to-planet opposition, not unlike an outer planet’s solar opposition.  With Venus and Jupiter, Earth is between the two planets.

Evening Sky

Mercury and Mars are not visible because they appear too close to the sun.

2023, November 1: Saturn is in the south-southeast after sunset.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Saturn is in the south-southeast after sunset.

Jupiter and Saturn are visible after sundown.  Saturn is easier to see in the south-southeast.  One hour after nightfall, the Ringed Wonder is over 30° above the horizon.  The planet’s westward retrograde has nearly ended.  It stops and begins to move eastward again against the star field on November 4th.

This evening it is 6.7° to the upper left of Deneb Algedi, Capricornus’ tail.  During its eastward ramble it begins to approach Skat, the Aquarian’s leg, and Lambda Aquarii (λ Aqr on the chart). Saturn is around 11° west of those stars tonight.

2023, November 1: Two hours after sunset, Jupiter is in the eastern sky.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Two hours after sunset, Jupiter is in the eastern sky.

Jupiter, rising less than 10 minutes after sunset, is nearly 10° up in the east at this hour. By two hours after sunset, the Jovian Giant is over 20° above the horizon.  Around midnight, the planet is in the southern sky and in the west before sunrise tomorrow.

2023, November 1: Four hours after nightfall, the gibbous moon is in the east-northeast.
Chart Caption – 2023, November 1: Four hours after nightfall, the gibbous moon is in the east-northeast.

Three hours after sunset, the gibbous moon, 79% illuminated, rises in the east-northeast.  An hour later, the lunar orb is over 10° above the horizon.  It is over 10° to the lower left of Elnath and over 50° to the lower left of Jupiter.

The moon is in the south over two hours before sunrise, when Jupiter is in the western sky and Venus is eastward.

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