April 26, 2024: Before sunrise the moon nears Antares. Mars and Saturn are visible before sunrise. Jupiter appears briefly after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:53 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:44 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
Moon Nears Antares
The bright waning gibbous moon, 94% illuminated, is in the southwestern sky an hour before daybreak. It is in front of Scorpius, 3.1° to the lower left of Dschubba, the Scorpion’s crown or forehead, and 5.9° to the lower right of rosy Antares, representing the heart. With the bright moonlight, use a binocular to see the stars or extend your open hand to cover the moon.
The lunar orb is targeting Antares for an occultation or stellar eclipse later today for sky watchers from Indonesia to east Africa and the Middle East.
On May 23rd, the next occultation in the series is visible from the Americas.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn
This morning farther eastward, Mars and Saturn are in the east-southeastern sky. At 45 minutes before sunup, Saturn is over 10° above the horizon. Too low in the sky for easy telescopic observation, the Ringed Wonder rises two minutes earlier compared to sunrise each day so that it is higher during morning twilight.
Mars, marching eastward and opening a gap on Saturn, is 10.5° to the lower left, too far away from Saturn for both to fit into the same binocular field. To locate Mars, find Saturn through the binocular and then move it to the lower left.
As sunrise approaches, the two planets fade into the brightening light.
Mercury and Venus are immersed in bright morning twilight. Rising 41 minutes before the sun, Mercury is moving into the eastern morning sky, but its appearance occurs in brighter twilight next month.
Venus, rising 18 minutes before sunrise, is moving toward a solar conjunction during early June and a wide swing into the western evening sky.
Evening Sky
Jupiter
Jupiter is the lone bright planet in the evening sky. At 45 minutes after sundown, the Jovian Giant is only 5° up in the west-northwest. It sets less than 40 minutes later. Jupiter reaches its solar conjunction on May 18th, moving into the morning sky.
The moon rises over three hours after sundown and it is low in the southeast as the midnight hour approaches.
Tomorrow morning find it in the south-southwest, to the east or left of Antares.
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