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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2024, May 23: Moon-Antares Occultation, Venus-Jupiter Conjunction
May 23, 2023: The moon occults or eclipses Antares. A Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in bright sunlight. - 2024, May 22: Flower Moon
May 22, 2023: The Flower Moon is this month’s bright moon, visible all night. Mars and Saturn shine before sunrise. - 2024, May 21: Moon Nears Scorpion’s Claws
May 21, 2023: The moon nears the Scorpion’s claws. Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before sunrise. Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter are lost in sunlight. - 2024, May 20: Betelgeuse, Heliacal Setting
May 20, 2023: Orion’s Betelgeuse makes its final appearance in the western sky after sunset for the year, known as heliacal setting. The moon is near Spica. - 2024, May 19: Moon-Spica Conjunction
May 19, 2023: Before sunrise, Fomalhaut is at heliacal rising. After sundown, look for a Moon-Spica conjunction.