April 7, 2024: Before sunrise and in colorful twilight, Mars approaches Saturn. Bright Jupiter is in the western sky after night falls.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:23 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:23 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
At Chicago’s latitude, daylight lasts 13 hours today. Daylight increased an hour in 22 days. The 14-hour mark occurs in another 22 days.
In Chicago for tomorrow’s solar eclipse, the partial eclipse begins at 12:51 p.m. CDT. The sun is 94% covered at 2:07 p.m. The event ends at 3:21 p.m.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mars Approaches Saturn
Three bright planets – Venus, Mars, and Saturn – are in eastern morning twilight. The easiest planet to see this morning is Mars, although a binocular is needed. The planet is 5.0° above the east-southeast horizon at 45 minutes before sunrise. It is dimmer than might be expected and somewhat matches the colorful reds of morning twilight.
The Red Planet is overtaking Saturn, 2.3° to the lower left and easily in the same binocular field. Mars appears to pass the Ringed Wonder in three mornings.
Venus, rising only 26 minutes before the sun, is lost in the sun’s bright light. It passes behind the sun during early June and then a wide swing into the evening sky.
Evening Sky
Bright Jupiter in West
Mercury, setting 39 minutes after the sun, is not visible tonight. It rapidly overtakes our planet, passing between Earth and Sun on the 11th. The planet then moves into the eastern morning sky for an unfavorable appearance.
Jupiter is the bright star in the western sky as darkness falls. By an hour after sundown, it is over 15° above the western horizon. It treks eastward in front of Aries, over 12° below the Pleiades star cluster, part of Taurus. The Jovian Giant reaches the cluster when they are near the sun in several weeks.
Jupiter and Uranus
Jupiter and Uranus are in the same binocular field. The Jovian Giant overtakes the more-distant world on the 20th, but they are near the horizon on conjunction evening.
This evening, inspect the region around Jupiter with a binocular. Count the number of stars in the Pleiades cluster. Spot the “V” of Taurus that includes bright Aldebaran with the Hyades cluster.
Before looking for Uranus, place Jupiter at the center of the binocular field to find up to four of Jupiter’s largest moons, resembling stars that hug the planet. Then move the bright planet toward the bottom of the field, about halfway from the center to the six o’clock position in the circular field. Uranus is near the center.
To identify Uranus, locate brighter Delta Arietis (δ Ari on the chart) and Zeta Arietis (ζ Ari) to the upper right in the field. Dimmer stars 53 and 54 are to the lower left of Delta. Notice the contrasting colors of the stars. Zeta and 53 are blue-white, while Delta and 54 are rosy. Aquamarine Uranus is to the upper left of the numbered stars and to Delta’s lower left. The planet’s globe is visible through a telescope at high magnifications.
Jupiter sets 155 minutes after sundown, ending today’s planet display.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, November 20: Mercury at Greatest Elongation, Venus, Mars, and Saturn
November 20, 2026: Mercury reaches greatest elongation. Find Venus near Spica, Mars near Regulus, Jupiter in Leo, and the 83%-illuminated Beaver Moon near Saturn. - 2026, November 19-21: Waxing Gibbous Moon Passes Saturn
November 19-21, 2026: Watch the waxing gibbous Moon pass Saturn. Follow their changing positions and view Saturn’s slightly tilted rings through a telescope. - 2026, November 18: Celestial Almanac – Bright Planets, Voyager Milestone
November 18, 2026: Find Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars before sunrise, the moon and Saturn after sunset, and Uranus near the Pleiades. Voyager 1 reaches distance milestone. - 2026, November 17: Voyager 1 Reaches One Light Day from Earth
November 17, 2026: Voyager 1 reaches one light-day from Earth tomorrow morning. Explore the spacecraft’s Grand Tour, gravity assists, historic planetary encounters, and continuing signals from interstellar space. - 2026, November 16: A Jupiter-Mars Conjunction Near Regulus as Venus Shines Near Spica
November 16, 2026: Watch Mars and Jupiter appear 1.2° apart before sunrise. Find Venus near Spica and Mercury low in the east-southeast, then observe the First Quarter Moon and Saturn after sunset.