June 9, 2024: The crescent moon is in front of Cancer, the Crab, to the upper left of Pollux. Mars and Saturn are visible before daybreak.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:25 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
The earliest sunrise time occurs today and continues through the 18th. Today’s daylight length is 15 hours, 10 minutes. The maximum daylight begins in a few mornings.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mercury and Jupiter
Four bright planets are west of the sun, rising before the central star. Mercury is in the veil of bright morning twilight. Rising less than 25 minutes before the sun, the speedy planet is moving toward its solar conjunction on the 14th and a disappointing evening appearance next month.
Similarly, Jupiter is in bright twilight, rising 51 minutes before the sun. It makes its first morning appearance near the solstice.
See Mars, Saturn before Sunrise
Two planets are easily visible in the eastern sky. Saturn is easier to see. An hour before sunrise, the yellow-orange world is nearly 30° up in the southeast. It rises earlier each morning and appears farther southward and higher at this hour.
Mars passed Saturn on April 10th and has marched steadily eastward, opening a gap that spans over 40°. This morning, the Red Planet is over 15° above the eastern horizon.
Evening Sky
Venus
Venus is slowly emerging from bright sunlight, although it sets less than 10 minutes after sundown.
Evening Crescent Moon
About an hour later, step outside and look to the west-northwest. The crescent moon, 14% illuminated, is less than 20° above the western horizon and nearly 10° to the upper left of Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins.
Look for earthshine on the moon’s night portion. This is from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. The soft light is visible to the unassisted eye, but highlighted through a binocular.
Moon Visits Beehive
As the sky darkens further, look for the Beehive star cluster, also known as the Praesepe or manger, nearly 5° to the lunar crescent’s left. Place the moon toward the right edge of the field of view. The star cluster is toward the left.
Look for the cluster before it appears too low in the sky, where the air dims and blurs celestial bodies.
The Beehive is part of Cancer, the seemingly empty space between the Gemini Twins and Leo’s Regulus, tonight, over 25° to the moon’s upper left.
The moon sets over three hours after sundown and near midnight.
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