January 11, 2024: Look for the morning Venus, Mercury display in the southeast before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:17 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:40 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
The moon is at its New moon phase at 5:57 a.m. CST. Look for it tomorrow evening in the west-southwest after sundown.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Venus, Mercury in Southeast
Before sunrise, brilliant Venus is in the southeastern sky. Elusive Mercury is not far away, making its first morning appearance of the year.
At forty-five minutes before daybreak, the brilliant planet is about 15° up in the southeastern sky. It is trekking eastward in front of Ophiuchus, 8.2° to the upper left of Antares, the heart of the Scorpion.
Mercury is nearing greatest separation from the sun and it stands nearly 10° above the horizon and 11.9° to the lower left of the Morning Star. The planet is brighter than all the stars in the sky this morning, but considerably dimmer than Venus. It is visible to the unaided eye, but use a binocular to initially identify it.
For four mornings, beginning January 16th, the planets are 11.1° apart. Then Mercury speeds back into bright morning twilight, passing Mars on the way.
Tomorrow, the planet reaches that greatest separation from the sun, known as greatest elongation. This one occurs west of the central star.
Don’t miss this morning Venus, Mercury display.
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