February 2, 2024: Look for February’s three bright planets and the moon during the nighttime hours.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:03 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:07 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
Morning Moon
The moon rises after midnight and the beginning of a new calendar day. By an hour before daybreak, the lunar orb, 55% illuminated, is about 30° up in the south. Later today at 5:18 p.m. when the moon is below the horizon in the Americas, the moon displays a Last Quarter phase.
This morning the lunar orb nears the Scorpion’s claws. It is 8.0° from Zubenelgenubi, the southern pincer. The arachnid’s forehead, Dschubba is over 20° to the east of the moon. On February 5th, the moon occults or eclipses Antares, the pattern’s brightest star, for sky watchers in southeast Asia and Indonesia.
Venus
At forty-five minutes before daybreak, brilliant Venus is less than 10° above the southeast horizon. It passes the star Nunki, part of Sagittarius. Use a binocular to spot the star 4.0° to the lower right of the Morning Star.
Mercury and Mars
Mercury is heading into bright sunlight, rising forty-seven minutes before sunrise. Mars continues to emerge from bright sunlight, rising sixteen minutes before Mercury.
At forty-five minutes before daybreak, the Red Planet is about 4° above the horizon. It is visible through a binocular, but not yet high enough for unassisted viewing.
Evening Sky
Jupiter
Jupiter and Saturn are the bright planets in the evening sky. The Jovian Giant is high in the south-southwest at one hour after nightfall. The planet slowly moves eastward in front of Aries, approaching an imaginary line from Hamal, Aries brightest star, to Menkar, part of Cetus. Jupiter sets in the west-northwest after midnight and the beginning of a new calendar day.
Saturn
Saturn is beginning to slip into brighter twilight. At this hour, it is about 10° above the west-southwest horizon. It sets two hours after nightfall.
The moon rises about the time Jupiter sets. Find the thick crescent moon in the southern sky before daybreak, to the lower left of Zubenelgenubi.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, April 14: Venus Dominates the Evening Sky with Sirius and Orion
April 14, 2026: Venus shines brightly after sunset while Sirius twinkles in the southwest. Orion stands between them as the spring sky shifts westward each evening. - 2026, April 13: Venus and Jupiter Shine After Sunset While Crescent Moon Appears Before Sunrise
April 13, 2026: Venus dominates the western sky after sunset while Jupiter shines higher in the sky. Before sunrise, find a waning crescent moon with earthshine in the east-southeast. - 2026, April 12-14: Waning Crescent Moon and Earthshine Before Sunrise
April 12-14, 2026: The waning crescent moon appears low in the southeast before sunrise. Watch it pass Deneb Algedi and photograph earthshine during the final mornings before new moon. - 2026, April 11: Spring Evening Sky – Spica, Hydra, Corvus, and Crater After Sunset
April 11, 2026: Two hours after sunset, find Spica low in the southeast with Hydra passing beneath it. Locate Corvus and Crater riding on the Snake’s back in the spring evening sky. - 2026, April 10: Spring Evening Sky – Leo, Cancer, and Hydra the Snake After Sunset
April 10, 2026: Leo stands high in the southern sky while faint Cancer and the Beehive Cluster appear nearby. Below them, Hydra the Snake stretches eastward toward Spica, marked by the solitary glow of Alphard.