2024, January 31: Gibbous Moon Approaches Spica

January 31, 2024: The gibbous moon approaches Spica.  Notice their relative locations before sunrise and as the calendar day ends.

Moon, Spica, Venus, December 9, 2020
Photo Caption – 2020, December 9: The crescent moon is over halfway up in the sky in the south-southeast. It is 3.3° to the upper right of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir, m = 3.4). It is above Spica and Venus.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:05 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:04 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Daylight’s length approaches ten hours, gaining fifty minutes since the winter solstice.

Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Gibbous Moon Approaches Spica

Gibbous moon approaches Spica - 2024, January 31: The gibbous moon approaches Spica before sunrise.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 31: The gibbous moon approaches Spica before sunrise.

This morning at an hour before sunrise, the gibbous moon, 73% illuminated, is over 30° above the southwest horizon.  It is 10.6° to the right of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star, and 4.5° to the lower right of Porrima, also known as Gamma Virginis.

The lunar orb displays a morning half-full phase, known as Last Quarter, on February 2.  The official phase occurs at 5:18 p.m. when the moon is below the horizon from the Americas.

Venus in Southeast

2024, January 31: Venus is in the southeast before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 31: Venus is in the southeast before daybreak.

At this hour, brilliant Venus is low in the southeast.  Wait another fifteen minutes for it to appear higher in the sky, but it is less than 10° above the horizon.  The planet is stepping eastward in front of Sagittarius, 4.4° to the left of Kaus Borealis, meaning “the northern part of the bow” of the Archer.  They fit into the same field of a binocular.

During January, Venus lost sixty-seven minutes of rising time compared to sunrise.  The planet appears lower in the sky during morning twilight than on New Year’s Day.

Mercury and Mars

Mercury moves toward its superior conjunction later next month.  The planet is in brighter twilight.

Mars is slowly emerging from brighter sunlight.  The planet is dim and no bright stars are nearby to help identify Mars.  Venus passes by on February 22nd and begins to appear in the same binocular field with Mars beginning in a week.

Evening Sky

Jupiter

2024, January 31: Bright Jupiter is high in the southern sky after sundown.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 31: Bright Jupiter is high in the southern sky after sundown.

After sundown, the sky is full of bright stars in the east.  The brightest starlike body, Jupiter, is high in the south-southwest.  It moves eastward in front of Aries, 11.0° to the lower left of Hamal, the Ram’s brightest star, and 13.7° to the upper right of Menkar.  The planet slowly moves eastward toward an imaginary line between the two stars.

Tonight, Jupiter sets in the west-northwest not long after the new calendar day begins.

Saturn

2024, January 31: After sunset, Saturn is in the west-southwest.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 31: After sunset, Saturn is in the west-southwest.

Saturn, considerably dimmer than Jupiter, but brighter than many stars tonight, is about 10° up in the west-southwest.  It sets about an hour later.

On February 6th, the Ringed Wonder sets at the end of evening twilight, ninety-five minutes after nightfall.  Then it sets during evening twilight until it disappears into the sun’s glare heading toward solar conjunction on February 28th.  The planet is making a relatively quick exit from the evening sky. It reappears in the eastern morning sky during early spring.  Mars passes Saturn on April 10th.

Moon and Spica

Gibbous moon approaches Spica - 2024, January 31: As the calendar day ends, the gibbous moon is near Spica.
Chart Caption – 2024, January 31: As the calendar day ends, the gibbous moon is near Spica.

The moon rises before midnight.  As the calendar day ends, the gibbous moon, 66% illuminated, is less than 10° up in the east-southeast, 1.5° to the upper left of Spica.  Notice the locations of the lunar orb and Spica before sunrise tomorrow morning.

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