May 23, 2023: The moon occults or eclipses Antares. A Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in bright sunlight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:23 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:12 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Moon-Antares Occultation
Tonight, the moon occults or eclipses the bright star Antares, the Scorpion’s heart. During an occultation, the moon slowly covers the star, stays in front of the star for a period of time, and then uncovers it.
This occultation is visible from western Africa, Caribbean basin, Central America, Africa, and the American Southeast. The event ends as the moon rises from the American Midwest. It is not visible from western time zones, although the lunar disk is very close to the star.
For example, from Charleston, South Carolina, the occultation begins at 9:19 p.m. Eastern Time, ending at 10:15 p.m.
While the moon is bright, the star is fairly easy to see without optical aid, although a binocular or spotting scope helps with the view.
Venus-Jupiter Conjunction
Today, Venus passes Jupiter in a very close conjunction. The planets are near the sun and hidden in the sun’s blazing light. The brilliant light can be dimmed by looking through eclipse glasses, but the planets are too dim to see through the glasses’ strong filtration. For practical observing, this conjunction is not visible.
The next Venus-Jupiter conjunction occurs in the eastern sky before sunrise on August 12, 2025. The following table summarizes the next five conjunctions.
Future Venus-Jupiter Conjunctions
| Date | Time | Notes |
| 2025, August 12 | Morning | One hour before sunrise, Venus is about 20° up in the east-northeast. The Venus-Jupiter separation is 0.9°. Venus is 12.0° from Gemini’s Pollux. |
| 2026, June 9 | Evening | One hour after sunset, Venus is over 15° above the west-northwest horizon. The Venus-Jupiter gap is 1.6°. Mercury is 13.8° to Venus’ lower right. Venus is 5.3° below Gemini’s Pollux. |
| 2027, August 25 | Daytime | This close conjunction, 0.5°, occurs near the sun. Venus is only 4° east of the central star. |
| 2028, November 16 | Morning | At 45 minutes before sunrise, Venus is about 20° up in the east-southeast. The planets’ separation is 0.7°. Venus is 8.2° above Virgo’s Spica. Mars is nearly 40° to Venus’ upper left. The crescent moon, 43% illuminated, is another 15° beyond Mars. |
| 2029, September 8 | Evening | At 45 minutes after sunset, Venus is less than 10° above the west-southwest horizon. The Venus-Jupiter gap is 1.8°. Venus is 2.3° above Spica. Mars is nearly 25° to the upper left of the conjunction. |
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Morning Flower Moon Approaches Antares
One hour before sunrise, the morning Flower Moon is low in the southwest and 10.0° to the lower right of Antares, foreshadowing tonight’s occultation.
The moon reaches the Full phase at 8:53 a.m. Central Time, after it sets for most of the Americas.
Mars, Saturn, and Fomalhaut
At this hour, Mars and Saturn are visible in the eastern sky. Saturn is easier to see over 20° up in the east-southeast. It is not bright like Venus or Jupiter, although it is brighter than most stars in this morning’s sky. It is distinctly yellow-orange and without a background of other bright stars.
Mars continues to widen a gap to the Ringed Wonder. It is over 10° above the eastern horizon and nearly 30° to Saturn’s lower left.
The star Fomalhaut is about 5° up in the southeast and nearly 25° to Saturn’s lower right.
Mercury is retreating back into bright sunlight. At 30 minutes before sunrise, it is less than 5° above the eastern horizon, lost in bright twilight.
Venus and Jupiter round out the morning planets with their conjunction described earlier.
Evening Sky
Evening Lunar Occultation
With the five bright planets west of the sun, the evening has no bright planets, although the bright moon is here.
For many sky watchers, the moon occults Antares. Two hours after nightfall, the lunar orb is less than 10° above the east-southeast horizon. Antares is less than 1° to the moon’s upper right. A binocular is helpful to see the star.
During the night as Earth rotates and the moon and the stars appear to move westward, the lunar disk moves eastward compared to Antares. Notice the larger gap between the moon and the star tomorrow morning before sunrise.
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