2024, June 12: June Evening Moon in Lion’s Belly

June 12, 2024: An hour after sundown, the crescent moon evening moon appears in Leo’s belly.  Mars and Saturn are visible before sunrise.

Afternoon First Quarter Moon
Photo by Seven Storm

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:27 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

Jupiter, Mercury in Twilight

Four bright planets are west of the sun, although Jupiter and Mercury are in bright sunlight.  Rising nearly an hour before the sun, Jupiter is slowly emerging from its solar conjunction.  It first appears in the east-northeast before sunrise in about a week.

Mercury arrives at its solar conjunction in two days, moving into the evening sky for a disappointing appearance in the western sky next month.

Mars, Saturn Easy Viewing

2024, June 12: Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 12: Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky before daybreak.

That leaves Mars and Saturn for easy viewing.  Saturn is dimmer than might be expected, but brighter than most stars in the predawn sky.  Find it about one-third of the way up in the southeastern sky.  The yellow-orange planet appears starlike to the unassisted eye.  A telescope is needed to see its rings and larger moons.

Saturn revolves around the sun about every 30 years. From week to week and month to month, the planet does not move very far eastward compared to the background stars.

Mars is over 15° above the east horizon, nearly 45° to Saturn’s lower left. The Red Planet revolves around the central star every 1.9 years.  It passed Saturn on April 10th, marching eastward considerably faster than the Ringed Wonder.  The gap between the two planets widens about the diameter of the Full moon each day.

Mars circles the sun and catches Saturn again on April 20, 2026. In the interim, Saturn only moves 23° eastward against the starfield, while Mars marches through its solar orbit for one complete circuit and then another 23° to overtake Saturn again.

The next Mars-Saturn conjunction occurs in bright morning twilight, not easily visible.  Interestingly, Mercury joins the two outer planets.  The grouping occurs in front of Cetus, where a small section of the ecliptic, the solar system’s plane, passes in front of this constellation.

Evening Sky

Venus on Slow Express

Venus is slowly making its way into the western evening sky for a pretty apparition. This evening it sets only 10 minutes after the sun.  It first becomes visible later during the summer.

Evening Moon in Lion’s Belly

2024, June 12: After sundown, the moon is in the west-southwest in the Lion’s belly, to the upper left of Regulus and below Chertan.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 12: After sundown, the moon is in the west-southwest in the Lion’s belly, to the upper left of Regulus and below Chertan.

The moon is the only bright solar system body visible after sundown.  An hour after nightfall, it is less than halfway up in the west-southwest, seemingly in the Lion’s belly. This evening the moon is 39% illuminated, bright enough to slightly light up the terrestrial landscape and cast shadows.  Use a binocular to trace the Lion’s outline.

The lunar orb is over 10° to the upper left of Regulus, the pattern’s brightest star meaning “the prince,” and over 8° below Chertan, meaning “the two small ribs.”

Tonight, the moon sets nearly five hours after sundown and after midnight.

Tomorrow evening, the lunar disk is in front of Leo for the third night this month, below Denebola, the tail.

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