January 14, 2024: Venus and Mercury dance eastward against the celestial backdrop before sunrise. Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon are visible after sundown.
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by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:16 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:43 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
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Venus, Mercury Dance Eastward
This morning Venus and Mercury continue their eastward dance against the starry background. The brilliant Morning Star is nearly 15° up in the southeast at forty-five minutes before sunrise. It is stepping eastward in front of Ophiuchus, 10.9° to the lower left of Antares, the heart of the Scorpion in celestial artwork.
Mercury, brighter than all the other stars except Venus, is 11.3° to the lower left of Venus and over 7° above the horizon. Find a clear horizon toward the southeast to see this morning dance between the two planets.
Beginning in two mornings and lasting through the 19th, Venus closes to 11.1°, matching its eastward speed, before Mercury races back into brighter morning twilight.
Mars is marching into the morning sky over an hour before sunup, but it is too dim to easily see.
Evening Sky
Saturn, Moon, Earthshine
After sundown, the crescent moon, 16% illuminated, is nearly 30° above the southwest horizon and 7.4° to the upper left of Saturn. Spot the star Fomalhaut, nearly 20° to the lower left of Saturn and over 10° above the horizon.
Look for earthshine, a soft light between the moon’s cusps or horns. This effect is from sunlight reflecting from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land that gently illuminates the lunar night. This is visible to the unassisted eye, and the view is improved through a binocular. Photograph it with a tripod mounted camera and exposures up to a few seconds.
Jupiter
Bright Jupiter is farther eastward, high in the south-southeast. It slowly moves eastward in front of Aries, 11.3° to the lower left of Hamal, the constellation’s brightest star, and 14.3° to the upper right of Menkar, part of Cetus.
Saturn sets earlier each evening, now leaving the sky in the west-southwest less than three and one-half hours after sundown. This evening the moon sets about forty-five minutes after Saturn sets. Jupiter is farther westward during the night, setting after midnight and about six hours before sunup.