February 17, 2024: After sundown, the February evening moon is with Taurus in the southern sky. Bright Jupiter is in the southwest.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:44 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:26 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
Brilliant Venus is in the east-southeast before sunrise. At forty-five minutes before daybreak, the planet is about 5° above the horizon. The planet is stepping eastward on the celestial sphere, stepping in front of Capricornus this morning.
The planet is overtaking Mars, moving slower eastward than the Morning Star. The Red Planet is slowly emerging from bright sunlight into the eastern morning sky.
Venus and Mars
At thirty minutes before daybreak, Venus and Mars appear in the same binocular field of view. Venus is 2.4° to Mars’ upper right. Venus passes 0.6° from Mars in five mornings.
Mercury is still west of the sun and immersed in bright morning twilight. It rises ten minutes before the sun. The speedy planet passes on the far side of the sun on the 28th and moves into the evening sky.
Evening Sky
Saturn, considered an evening planet, sets forty-five minutes after the sun. It is lost in the sun’s glare and it is not visible.
February Gibbous Moon is with Taurus
This evening, the gibbous moon, 65% illuminated, is high in the south with Taurus. The bright moonlight may overwhelm the nearby stars. Use a binocular to see them. The starry background is made by Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster, forming a letter “V” to outline the Bull’s head. This bovine has two long horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri. This evening the lunar orb is 7.2° to the lower right of the former. The famous Pleiades star cluster rides on the Bull’s back.
At this hour, bright Jupiter is over halfway up in the southwestern sky and nearly 40° to the lower right of the moon.
Jupiter is slowly, but noticeably, moving eastward from night to night in front of Aries, 11.0° to the lower left of Hamal, the Ram’s brightest star, and 12.7° to the upper right of Menkar, Cetus’ nostril. The Jovian Giant is approaching an imaginary line between the two stars.
Jupiter sets in the west-northwest before midnight, followed by the moon less than four hours later.
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