May 20, 2023: Orion’s Betelgeuse makes its final appearance in the western sky after sunset for the year, known as heliacal setting. The moon is near Spica.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:26 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:10 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
Early-Morning Moon
Two hours before sunrise, the bright gibbous moon, 90% illuminated, is setting in the western sky. It is near Spica, but at this altitude, use a binocular to see the star, 1.7° to the left of the lunar orb.
Morning Planets
An hour later, Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky. Saturn is nearly 20° up in the east-southeast, becoming easier to see from week to week. The planet is not as bright as Venus or Jupiter, but it outshines most of the stars in the sky this morning. The planet is slowly moving eastward in front of Aquarius’ faint distant stars. At this level of twilight, the starfield is a challenge to see.
Mars, marching eastward in front of Pisces, is nearly 10° up in the east and nearly 30° to Saturn’s lower left. The Red Planet continues to widen the gap to the Ringed Wonder after their conjunction last month.
Three other planets are west of the sun and considered morning planets, but they are veiled by the sun’s bright light. Mercury rises 52 minutes before the sun. Twenty minutes later, it is less than 5° above the eastern horizon. As the planet retreats into bright sunlight, it brightens, but this morning’s predawn light wipes out the view, except for Mercury aficionados who have monitored the planet’s location throughout this unfavorable apparition.
Venus reaches its superior conjunction during early June, followed by a wide swing into the western evening sky. It approaches Jupiter for a close conjunction in three mornings, that occurs near the sun.
Evening Sky
Betelgeuse Heliacal Setting
Betelgeuse is making its last appearance in the western evening sky for this year. Known as the heliacal setting, Orion’s shoulder is less than 5° above the western horizon at 45 minutes after sundown. Like Mars, Betelgeuse rosy hue blends with twilight, masking the star’s visibility. Depending on the clarity of the sky, the star might be easy to see.
During this season in the American Midwest, occasional cool breezes from the northwest clear the sky, making for excellent sky watching, even with the later sunset. A clearing event would assist with seeing Betelgeuse this evening.
Betelgeuse reappears in the eastern sky during July, followed by Sirius during mid-August.
An hour after nightfall, the bright gibbous moon, 94% illuminated, is nearly one-third of the way up in the south-southeastern sky, 8.2° to Spica’s lower left. The moon’s eastward step widens a larger gap with the “fixed” star Spica.
The moon is approaching the Full moon phase, this month known as the Flower moon. The phase occurs on the 23rd at 8:53 a.m. Central Time, after moonset in most of the Americas.
Tomorrow morning at two hours before sunrise, the lunar orb is low in the west-southwest.
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