May 1, 2024: A planet view occurs this morning with the moon, Mars, and Saturn. Jupiter is disappearing from the evening sky. Today is May Day.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:46 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:50 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
On this May Day, daylight’s length is 15 hours, 4 minutes. It increases nearly an hour during the month.
May Day is a traditional northern hemisphere celebration of spring. It is one of the four traditional days – Groundhog Day, May Day, Lammas Day, and Halloween – that mark the middle of each season. This year, spring’s midpoint occurs in four days.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Morning Moon, Planet View
This morning the half-full or Last Quarter moon is in the southeast before sunrise. It continues to approach Saturn and Mars. It is to Saturn’s lower right in two mornings. The next morning it is between Mars and Saturn.
This morning, the Ringed Wonder is nearly 15° above the east-southeast horizon at 45 minutes before daybreak. It is easier to see as it rises two minutes earlier compared to sunrise each morning.
Mars continues on the border of easy visibility. It marches eastward 13.9° to Saturn’s lower left and over 8° above the eastern horizon. It is slightly brighter than Saturn, but it mixes with the colorful hues of morning twilight. Try to find it without a binocular’s optical assist, but likely the additional assistance is needed.
Mercury and Venus
Mercury moves toward a disappointing appearance in the morning sky. It barely appears above the horizon on May 9th, its prime morning for viewing. The speedy planet’s visibility suffers from a poorly inclined ecliptic at the horizon so the planet does not rise high into the sky. This morning it rises 46 minutes before the sun.
Venus is heading toward an appearance in the evening. It is still west of the sun, rising 16 minutes before the sun. After its solar conjunction early next month, it makes a wide swing into the western sky.
Evening Sky
Jupiter Slips into Twilight
Jupiter continues to depart the evening sky, setting four minutes earlier each night compared to sunset. This evening at 40 minutes after nightfall, the Jovian Giant is less than 5° above the west-northwest horizon, and over 15° to the lower right of Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star.
Jupiter is easier to see near the horizon, compared to Mercury, Mars, and Saturn, because it is the fourth brightest regular celestial sight. Even with the atmosphere’s filtering effects, the planet is bright enough to be seen when the horizon is free of clouds and other visual obstructions.
The day’s meager planet activity ends when Jupiter sets 62 minutes after the sun.
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