May 14, 2023: After sundown, the waxing crescent moon is near the Sickle of Leo. Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before sunup.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:31 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:04 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
Morning Planets
An hour before daybreak, Saturn is over 15° above the east-southeast horizon. While dimmer than Venus and Jupiter, the Ringed Wonder is brighter than most stars in the sky this morning.
Mars, nearly 10° above the eastern horizon and almost 25° to Saturn’s lower left, is more challenging to see. While slightly brighter than Saturn, it reddish cast blends with the hues of morning light. Use a binocular to see the Red Planet.
Venus is moving toward solar conjunction early next month, followed by a wide swing into the western evening sky.
Mercury is challenging to see above the eastern horizon at 30 minutes after sundown.
Evening Sky
May Waxing Moon, Sickle of Leo
Jupiter is moving toward solar conjunction during early June. The planet sets only 12 minutes after the sun. It returns to the eastern morning sky near the date of the summer solstice next month.
The evening sky is without any of the five bright planets, although the moon is nicely placed for viewing.
An hour after sundown, the waxing crescent moon, 46% illuminated, is over halfway up in the west-southwest. It is to the lower right of the “Sickle of Leo,” six stars that shape the sickle or a backwards question mark.
Regulus, the Lion’s brightest star, is at the bottom of the sickle shape. Its name means “the prince.” The star is the 15th brightest visible from the mid-northern latitudes, shining with an intrinsic brightness of nearly 150 suns.
In the sky, the Lion is visible in silhouette, facing westward. The animal’s haunches and tail are dotted by three stars. Denebola is the tail. Including this evening, this month the moon is with the Lion for three evenings.
Tonight, the moon sets over six hours after nightfall and after midnight.
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