April 18, 2024: The evening gibbous moon is with Leo. Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before daybreak. Jupiter approaches planet Uranus after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:05 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:36 p.m. CDT. 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
Four Bright Planets
Four bright planets are west of the sun, but Mercury and Venus are immersed in the bright predawn light. They are not visible.
Mars and Saturn
At 45 minutes before daybreak, Mars and Saturn are in the east-southeast. Saturn, rising two minutes earlier each morning, is less than 10° above the horizon. At its altitude – height above the horizon – it is marginally visible without a binocular’s optical assist.
Mars is 5.1° to Saturn’s lower left. The Red Planet marches eastward faster than Saturn and opens a gap that widens each morning. They fit into the same binocular field for a few more mornings.
Mars tends to mix with the hues of morning twilight and a binocular is needed to see it.
Evening Sky
April Leo Moon
After sundown, the bright waxing gibbous moon, 80% illuminated, is high in the south-southeast. It is in front of Leo, 6.4° to the lower left of Regulus, the Lion’s brightest star, and nearly 20° to the upper right of Denebola, marking the animal’s tail.
To see the stars, block the moon with your hand as you would to shade your eyes from a glaring sun. This moonlight washes across the sky, making dimmer stars difficult to see.
Jupiter below Pleiades
One hour after nightfall, bright Jupiter is less than 10° above the west-northwest horizon. It is trekking eastward in front of Aries, over 10° below the Pleiades star cluster that is part of Taurus. The Jovian Giant overtakes the star cluster when they are near solar conjunction and invisible to us.
When Jupiter reappears in the morning sky at about the time of the summer solstice, it is east of the Pleiades, too far away to see them in the same binocular field.
Jupiter Overtakes Uranus
This evening Jupiter is overtaking planet Uranus, but the visibility is hampered by Jupiter’s low altitude and the bright moonlight. Attempt to view them together in a binocular. Place Jupiter at the center of the field of view. Up to three of its largest moons are visible. Ganymede and Callisto are to the lower right, while Io is to the upper left. At the binocular’s magnification, they appear as stars. Hold the binocular steadily and lean against a tree or building to help stabilize the view.
Moon Callisto is dimmer than Uranus, while Ganymede is brighter. Dim Uranus is to the upper right of Jupiter. Can you see Delta Arietis (δ Ari on the chart) that is brighter than Uranus? Stars 53 Arietis (53 Ari) and 54 Arietis (54 Ari) are dimmer. These numbered stars might not be visible because of the sky conditions.
Sometimes a little magnification, such as 15x to 30x, that is provided by a spotting scope helps dim the moon’s light, but it greatly restricts the view. Jupiter’s moons are easier to see at these magnifications. At this view place Jupiter toward the lower left of the field. Uranus is then to the upper right.
Jupiter passes the more distant planet in two nights. The view is more challenging each evening.
Jupiter sets less than two hours after sundown. The moon sets after midnight and less than two hours before sunrise.
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