June 5, 2024: Mars and Saturn are visible in the eastern sky before sunrise. Mars continues to widen a gap between the two worlds.
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.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mars, Saturn in Eastern Predawn Sky
Mars and Saturn are visible in the eastern sky before sunrise. Saturn is easier to locate in the southeast. One hour before daybreak, the Ringed Wonder is nearly one-third of the way from the horizon to overhead. Its color is yellow-orange. While it does not dazzle like Venus and Jupiter, it outshines most of the stars this morning.
Look for the star Fomalhaut, about 10° above the southeast horizon and nearly 25° to Saturn’s lower left.
Mars, marching eastward faster than Saturn, is nearly 15° up in the east and almost 40° to Saturn’s lower left. It passed Saturn on April 10 and has opened a wide gap to the slower-moving planet.
The Red Planet is in front of Pisces, moving eastward toward Aries. It is over 15° to Hamal’s lower right. The star is the Ram’s brightest.
Jupiter, Mercury, and Moon
Jupiter, Mercury, and the crescent moon are in bright twilight. Jupiter is entering the eastern morning sky, making its first appearance in a few weeks.
Mercury reaches superior conjunction on the 14th, followed by a disappointing evening appearance.
The moon is at the New phase tomorrow, beginning lunation 1255, the number of lunar cycles since the count began in 1923.
Evening Sky
Venus-Saturn Conjunction, January 17, 2025
Venus is east of the sun setting a minute or so after sunset. Its emergence from bright sunlight occurs in a few months.
One of the highlights of the apparition is the Venus-Saturn conjunction that occurs January 17, 2025. While Saturn is in June’s morning sky, it appears farther westward each night. By winter it is in the western sky after sundown. Brilliant Venus passes 2.3° to the Ringed Wonder’s upper right. Look for them 45 minutes after the sun sets.
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