January 7, 2024: Venus-Antares Conjunction. Venus passes the star Antares in a wide conjunction before sunrise in the southeast.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:36 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
This morning Venus passes 6.3° from the star Antares, a Venus-Antares conjunction.
Step outside about 45 minutes before sunrise. Brilliant Venus is over 15° above the southeast horizon. It passes 6.3° to the upper left of Antares, meaning “the rival of Mars, that represents the heart of the Scorpion in celestial artwork.
Frequency of Venus-Antares Conjunctions
Venus-Antares conjunctions are not rare and because the planet seems tethered to the sun, the Morning Star is near Antares frequently. Their conjunctions occur from October through January. Those occurring during early December are lost in the sun’s glare. Conjunctions occurring in the autumn are in the southwestern sky after sunset, while those occurring during early winter are in the southeast before daybreak. Venus passes Antares again on October 25, followed by the next conjunction December 8, 2025.
This morning the crescent moon, 19% illuminated, is over 15° to the upper right of Venus and 7.3° to the upper right of Dschubba, the Scorpion’s head.
Look for Mercury
Mercury, 13.5° to the lower left of Venus and nearly 10° above the horizon, is entering the morning sky for its first predawn appearance of the year. Next week, Venus and Mercury are about 11° apart.
This morning Mercury is brighter than Antares, but appears lower in the sky and in brighter twilight. Initially use a binocular to find it.
Upcoming Rare Celestial Events
Tomorrow morning, two interesting events occur. First, Venus, Antares, and the crescent moon fit into a binocular field of view. A gathering of this three does not occur this compact again until October 13, 2045. That grouping is more compact than this morning’s celestial bundle when they fit into a circle less than 4° across.
The second event is an occultation or eclipse of Antares by the moon. For the eastern time zones in the Americas, this occurs after sunrise. For sky watchers farther westward, watch the star disappear during twilight and reappear in morning’s light. The next Moon-Antares occultation occurs during the next lunation on February 5 for sky watchers in central Asia.
This morning look to the southeast before sunrise for the Venus-Antares conjunction.