2024, February 26: Look for the Moon’s Changing Place

February 26, 2024: Look for the moon’s changing place against the stars before sunrise and after sunset.  Bright Jupiter is in the west-southwest after sundown.

Moon in the Bull's Horns. October 8, 2020
2020, October 8: Among the stars along the ecliptic, the gibbous moon, overexposed and behind the tree leaves, is 3.3° to the upper left of Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau), the Southern Horn of Taurus, and nearly 7° to the lower left of Elnath, the Northern Horn.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:31 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:37 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

Look for the Moon’s Changing Place

Look for the moon's changing place
Chart Caption – 2024, February 26: Before sunrise, the moon is about halfway from Spica to Regulus in the west-southwest.

The bright gibbous moon, 97% illuminated, is over 20° above the west-southwest horizon at one hour before sunrise.  The lunar orb is in front of Virgo, about halfway from Spica to Regulus, Leo’s brightest star.  It is 13.1° to the lower left of Denebola, the Lion’s tail.

Venus and Mars

2024, February 26: At forty minutes before sunrise, Venus is low in the east-southeast.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 26: At forty minutes before sunrise, Venus is low in the east-southeast.

Venus rises about an hour before sunrise.  Twenty minutes later, it is less than 5° above the east-southeast horizon. The planet is moving into brighter twilight and unlike most celestial bodies, it is visible near the horizon. 

2024, February 26: Through a binocular at thirty minutes before daybreak, Mars is 2.0° to the upper right of Venus.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 26: Through a binocular at thirty minutes before daybreak, Mars is 2.0° to the upper right of Venus.

Mars, at about the same altitude – height above the horizon – as Venus, is not easily visible because it is considerably dimmer than the Morning Star.  Use a binocular at thirty minutes before sunrise to see the Red Planet 2.0° to the upper right of Earth’s Twin planet.

The gap between the two planets is wider each morning after their conjunction four mornings ago.

Mercury

Mercury’s superior conjunction occurs in two days.  This places the sun between Earth and the speedy planet.  Mercury moves into the evening sky for its best evening appearance for northern hemisphere sky watchers during late March.

Evening Sky

Saturn is at solar conjunction on the same day as Mercury’s superior conjunction.  It moves into the eastern morning sky during spring. A conjunction occurs with Mars on April 10th.

2024, February 26: As night falls, Jupiter is in the west-southwest.
Chart Caption – 2024, February 26: As night falls, Jupiter is in the west-southwest.

Jupiter shines brightly in the west-southwest after nightfall.  The planet steps eastward in front of Aries, 11.2° to the lower left of Hamal, the Ram’s brightest star, and 12.3° to the upper right of Menkar.

Since Jupiter’s retrograde ended nearly two months ago, it has been slowly moving eastward against the starfield, approaching a line between the two stars.  Tomorrow evening Jupiter passes between them.

Jupiter' Great Red Spot
Photo Caption – Jupiter (NASA Photo)

At 6:33 p.m. CST, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is visible through a telescope at the center of the planet in the southern hemisphere.  It is visible in the eastern parts of the Americas.  This occurs before sunset in the western regions.

Jupiter sets in the west-northwest over five hours after sunset and before midnight.

Evening Moon

Look for the moon's changing place
Chart Caption – 2024, February 26: Three hours after sunset, the gibbous moon is in the eastern sky to the lower right of Denebola.

With the moon waning, it rises later during the evening, tonight over two hours after night fall. By three hours after sunset, it is nearly 10° up in the east, almost 20° to the lower right of Denebola.

From Earth’s rotation, the moon appears farther westward.  Tomorrow during morning twilight the moon is in the southwestern sky near Spica.

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