January 21, 2024: This morning be the last look for Mercury before it disappears into bright sunlight. Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Moon are visible during nighttime hours.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:13 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:52 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
Last Look for Mercury?
Mercury is quickly leaving the morning sky. While bright, the planet is only about 5° above the southeastern horizon at forty-five minutes before sunrise, 11.2° to the lower left of Morning Star Venus.
Venus, the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning, is stepping eastward in front of Ophiuchus. It is not moving as fast eastward as Mercury, making the gap between the two planets wider each morning.
Find Venus First
If you have not seen Venus recently, the planet is considerably lower in the morning sky than it was a month ago. Earth’s Twin planet is moving toward superior conjunction later in the year, and it is rising later compared to sunrise, placing it lower in the heavens during morning twilight.
To see Venus and certainly Mercury, find an observing spot with a clear horizon toward the southeast. A binocular helps with Mercury’s initial sighting. Depending on local weather conditions and terrain contours, this might be the last morning to see the speedy planet before bright morning twilight engulfs its light.
Look for the rosy star Antares, the Scorpion’s heart, nearly 20° to the upper right of Venus.
Mars Still a Challenge
Mars continues its slow entry into the morning sky, rising sixty minutes before sunrise. The Red Planet is still quite dim from its considerable distance from Earth.
Evening Sky
Evening Gibbous Moon
After sundown, the bright moon, 87% illuminated, is in the eastern sky, nearly 13° to the upper left of topaz Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star. In this moonlight, use a binocular to find Elnath, also known as Beta Tauri, one of the Bull’s horns, 4.3° to the lower left of the lunar orb. The second horn, Zeta Tauri, is below Elnath and nearly 10° below the moon.
Jupiter
An hour after sundown, bright Jupiter is high in the southern sky, nearly 45° west of the moon. It moves eastward in front of Aries, 11.1° to the lower left of Hamal, the constellation’s brightest star, and 14.1° to the upper right of Menkar. The Jovian Giant is too far away from these stars to fit into the same binocular field of view with them. With this moonlight, use the optical assist to see them.
During the next several weeks, watch Jupiter’s slow eastward motion take it toward an imaginary line from Hamal to Menkar.
Saturn
Saturn, dimmer than Jupiter, but brighter than most stars tonight, is less than 20° up in the southwest, and nearly the same distance from Fomalhaut, that is less than 10° above the horizon. Saturn is beginning to start the night lower in the sky, soon descending into brighter evening twilight.
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