January 1-7, 2024: During early January, the astronomy events include a dual appearance of Venus and Mercury in the southeast before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:30 p.m. CST. 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
Venus, Mercury in Southeast
Brilliant Venus and Mercury are in the southeastern sky before sunrise. The Morning Star gleams brightly about 15° above the horizon at one hour before daybreak. Quite simply, it is the bright star in the eastern sky before sunup.
This morning the planet steps into Scorpius for four mornings, 0.9° to the upper left of Graffias, meaning “the crab,” followed by an extended trek across Ophiuchus. Each morning the planet moves eastward compared to the starfield.
Look for Mercury
Mercury brightens as it moves into the morning sky. On New Year’s Day the speedy planet is less than 20° to the lower left of Venus and about 5° above the horizon. First, find the planet with a binocular. Then look for it without the optical assist. On January 1st, Mercury is distinctly brighter than Antares, the Scorpion’s brightest star. By the 7th, only Venus is brighter. On this date, the Venus-Mercury gap is 13.5°.
Mercury’s retrograde ends on January 2nd, and the planet resumes its eastward motion. Venus closes the gap to about 11° at midmonth before Mercury picks up speed and races back into bright twilight.
Binocular Views
On January 1st and 2nd, Venus moves through a starfield that includes Graffias, Omega1 Scorpii, (ω1 Sco on the chart) and Nu Scorpii (ν Sco). Use a binocular to track the planet’s movement.
On the second morning, the planet is 0.6° above Nu, a nice binocular view.
January 7: Crescent Moon Joins the Scene
On January 7th, the moon enters the scene, over 15° to the upper right of Venus. The next morning, Venus, Moon, and Antares fit tightly into a binocular field of view. This triad is not this close together until 2045!
Take note of Venus and Mercury in the southeastern sky on the opening mornings of the New Year.
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