June 4, 2024: Venus is at superior conjunction on the sun’s far side. Saturn, Mars, and the crescent moon are in the eastern sky before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:23 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Venus at Superior Conjunction
Venus reaches superior conjunction today on the sun’s far side. Earth, Sun, and Venus are in a line, with the central star between the two planets, consequently, that planet is not visible.
Venus slowly moves east of the sun, beginning its appearance as the Evening Star. It makes its first appearance during early August.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Saturn in Southeast
Saturn, Mars, and the crescent moon are visible before sunrise. The Ringed Wonder is easiest to see. At one hour before daybreak, Saturn is over 25° above the southeast horizon. Rising earlier each morning, it appears higher and farther southward. The change is subtle each morning, but easily noticeable from week to week.
Look for the star Fomalhaut, meaning the “mouth of the Southern Fish,” nearly 10° above the southeast horizon and 24.0° to Saturn’s lower right.
Mars, Crescent Moon before Sunrise
Mars, slightly brighter than Saturn, is nearly 15° up in the east and nearly 40° to Saturn’s lower left. The Red Planet continues to widen a gap to Saturn after their conjunction on April 10th.
Find a clear horizon in the east-northeast to see a thin crescent moon, only 6% illuminated, and less than 10° above the horizon. A binocular is helpful to initially locate it. The moon passes the New moon phase in two days, followed by its appearance in the western sky on the 7th.
Jupiter and Mercury
Jupiter is moving toward a morning appearance. If first appears in the eastern sky before sunrise in two weeks.
Mercury’s superior conjunction occurs in 10 days. It has a close conjunction with Jupiter this morning, but this occurs during bright twilight and it is not easily visible. They rise about 35 minutes before the sun, lost in morning’s bright light when they are higher in the sky for a potential sighting.
Evening Sky
Venus as the Evening Star, A Few Highlights
Here are a few highlights of Venus’ upcoming evening appearance:
After a slow entrance into a darker sky, the moon passes Venus on December 4th. Find them in the southwest during evening twilight. The separation is about 3°.
As the New Year opens, Venus approaches Saturn, the moon joins them January 3, 2025. The moon is 3.6° to the upper left of Venus. Saturn is less than 15° to Venus’ upper left.
On February 1, 2025, the crescent moon is 2.5° to Venus’ lower left. Earth’s Twin planet is over 10° above Saturn.
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