2024, January 24: Nightly Moon with Pollux

January 24, 2024: Before sunrise and after sunset, the moon is with Pollux.  Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are easily seen during nighttime hours.

Moon in Gemini, December 3, 2020
Photo Caption – 2020, December 3: One hour before sunrise, the bright gibbous moon is over 30° in altitude in the west. It is near central Gemini beneath the Twins, Castor and Pollux.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:11 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:55 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

Moon with Pollux

Moon with Pollux - 2024, January 24: The bright moon is below Castor and Pollux before sunrise.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 24: The bright moon is below Castor and Pollux before sunrise.

The nearly-full moon, 98% illuminated, is low in the west-northwest at an hour before sunrise.  The moon is at its official Full moon phase tomorrow at 11:54 a.m. CST.

This morning the moon is below Castor and Pollux, the Gemini Twins.  It is 4.7° to the lower right of Pollux and 5.9° to the lower left of Castor.  With the bright moonlight cast across the sky, block the lunar disk with your hand as you would to block the sun to see the stellar pair.

Venus

2024, January 24: Venus is low in the southeast before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 24: Venus is low in the southeast before daybreak.

Farther eastward, brilliant Venus is in the southeast.  The Morning Star rises over two hours before the sun.  By forty-five minutes before sunrise, it is over 10° above the horizon.  The planet is stepping eastward in front of Sagittarius.

Mercury and Mars

This image shows the globe of Mars set against a dark background. The disc of the planet features yellow, orange, blue and green patches, all with an overall muted grey hue, representing the varying composition of the surface.
Chart Caption – To mark 20 years of ESA’s Mars Express, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) team has produced a new global color mosaic: Mars as never seen before. The mosaic reveals the planet’s surface color and composition in spectacular detail. (Photo: European Space Agency, ESA)

Mercury is bright but difficult to locate.  By thirty minutes before sunrise, Mercury aficionados can find it through a binocular over 5° above the southeast horizon and 2.2° to the upper right of Mars. 

The Red Planet is about to make its first appearance in the morning sky after its solar conjunction two months ago, although it is a challenging view through a binocular.  Mercury passes in a close conjunction in three mornings.  Venus passes Mars on February 22nd.

Evening Sky

Evening Moon, Pollux

Moon with Pollux - 2024, January 24: The bright gibbous moon is below Pollux after sundown.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 24: The bright gibbous moon is below Pollux after sundown.

An hour after sundown, the bright moon, 99% illuminated, is over 20° above the east-northeast horizon and 3.9° below Pollux.  During the daytime in the western hemisphere, the moon appeared to pass Pollux.  This evening’s position is east of the star compared to this morning when the lunar orb was west of the star.

Jupiter

2024, January 24: Jupiter is high in the south after nightfall.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 24: Jupiter is high in the south after nightfall.

At this hour, bright Jupiter is high in the south.  This evening and until it disappears into bright sunlight during April, the Jovian Giant appears west of the south cardinal direction at an hour after sundown.

Jupiter is slowly moving eastward in front of Aries, 11.1° to the lower left of Hamal, the Ram’s brightest star, and 14.0° to the upper right of Menkar, part of Cetus.  The planet is slowly approaching an imaginary line between the two stars.

Saturn

2024, January 24: Saturn is in the west-southwest after sunset.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 24: Saturn is in the west-southwest after sunset.

When the sky is dark, Saturn is over 15° above the west-southwest horizon and nearly 20° to the upper right of Fomalhaut, although this star is low in the sky. During the next several evenings, the star disappears into the haze that blurs and dims celestial objects.

The Ringed Wonder sets over two hours after sundown.  Jupiter sets in the west-northwest, shortly after the new calendar day begins.  The bright Wolf moon is less than 15° above the west-northwest horizon during twilight tomorrow morning.

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