2024, May 4:  Moon Dances with Morning Planets

May 4, 2024: Before sunrise, the moon dances with morning planets Mars and Saturn.  After sundown, Sirius nears its heliacal setting.

2022, March 28: A close bunching of Venus, Saturn, Mars, and the crescent moon.
Photo Caption – 2022, March 28: A close bunching of Venus, Saturn, Mars, and the crescent moon.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:42 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:53 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 Dances with Morning Planets

Moon Dances with morning planets
Chart Caption – 2024, May 4: Before sunrise, Saturn and the crescent moon fit tightly into a binocular field of view.

This morning the moon appears to dance with Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky.  At forty-five minutes before daybreak, the lunar crescent, 18% illuminated, is low in the east-southeast.

February 26: The crescent moon with the stars of the Teapot's handle.
Photo Caption – 2022, February 26: The crescent moon with the stars of the Teapot’s handle.

Look for earthshine on the moon’s night portion.  This is from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land.  This light softly illuminates the lunar night.

Moon Dances with Morning Planets
Chart Caption – 2024, May 4: Before sunrise, Saturn and the crescent moon fit tightly into a binocular field of view.

The moon is between Mars and Saturn.  The Red Planet is 9.1° to the moon’s lower left, while Saturn is 7.1° to the upper right.  The Ringed Wonder and the lunar orb tightly fit into the same binocular field.  In the other direction, Mars is too far away for a binocular view with the moon.

Mars’ visibility is marginal because of its low altitude – meaning its height above the horizon – and its reddish color mixes with the colorful rosy hues of morning twilight.  A binocular may be needed to see it.

Mars moves east faster than Saturn and the gap between them continues to open.  This morning the separation is nearly 16°.

Tomorrow morning, the moon’s eastward journey places it 4.9° to Mars’ lower left, nicely fitting into the same binocular field of view.

Mercury and Venus

Mercury and Venus are hiding in brighter morning twilight.  The innermost planet rises 48 minutes before the sun.  It reaches is farthest extent from the sun, known as greatest elongation, on the 9th.  On that morning it is very low in the eastern sky before sunup, a very unfavorable appearance.

Venus rises only 15 minutes before the sun.  Next month it passes on the sun’s far side and heads for a wide swing in the western evening sky.

Evening Sky

Sirius Nears Last Appearance

2024, May 4: Sirius and Betelgeuse are in the western sky after sundown. Sirius nears its last appearance after sunset.
Chart Caption – 2024, May 4: Sirius and Betelgeuse are in the western sky after sundown. Sirius nears its last appearance after sunset.

With Jupiter in bright twilight, Sirius is the brightest star in the sky after sundown.  The Dog Star is nearing its final appearance in the western sky after sundown or heliacal setting.  At 45 minutes after sunset, the star is 10° above the southwestern horizon.

At Chicago’s latitude, Sirius’ final appearance occurs in a week.  While the theoretical date can be calculated, the last appearance is dictated by local weather and obstructions at the horizon.

This evening, the atmosphere likely makes Sirius twinkle wildly.  The effect is especially noticeable in a binocular.  In the American Midwest, an occasional northwest breeze clears the sky, providing exceptional views of the evening sky, making Sirius seem to shim and shake in the southwestern evening sky.

What is the last evening you see Sirius?  Take a look each clear evening.

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