2024, June 17: Morning Planet Necklace Forming

June 17, 2024: Before sunrise, Jupiter is slowly appearing to form a morning planet necklace with Mars and Saturn.  After sundown, the moon is near Spica and Zubenelgenubi.

Venus, December 1, 2020
Photo Caption – 2020, December 1: Venus is 3.3° to the upper right of Zubenelgenubi.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:15 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:28 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 and Saturn During Morning Twilight

2024, June 17: An hour before sunrise, Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 17: An hour before sunrise, Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky.

Mars and Saturn are in the eastern morning sky during twilight.  An hour before daybreak, Saturn is over 30° above the southeast horizon.  The yellow-orange planet is brighter than most stars in the sky this morning, but it is not exceptionally bright like Venus or Jupiter.  The Ringed Wonder is slowly moving eastward in front of Aquarius.

Mars, slightly brighter than Saturn, is nearly 20° above the eastern horizon, nearly 50° to Saturn’s lower left.  The Red Planet widens a gap to the second planet each morning.

Jupiter is emerging from bright twilight.  At this hour, it is immediately above the horizon, less than 30° to Mars’ lower left.  The planet is visible for sky watchers with clear, natural horizons in its direction.

Jupiter Forming Planet Necklace

2024, June 17: Before sunrise, Jupiter joins Mars in the eastern sky. Use a binocular to see the Red Planet.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 17: Before sunrise, Jupiter joins Mars in the eastern sky. Use a binocular to see the Red Planet.

Fifteen minutes later, Jupiter is 5° above the horizon, but morning twilight washes out Mars and Saturn.  A binocular is needed to see them at this time.  In three mornings, the Jovian Giant is at this altitude when Mars and Saturn are visible without the optical assist.  The triplet is visible until Saturn disappears in the western sky.

During early summer track the three planets in the morning sky as Jupiter becomes easier to see.

When Mercury returns to the eastern morning sky during early September four planets span the sky from east to west before daybreak, making a nice necklace of bright planets.

Evening Sky

Venus, Mercury Veiled

Venus and Mercury are east of the sun, but they are veiled in bright evening twilight.  They set about 20 minutes after the sun.

Mercury is moving toward a disappointing appearance after sunset.  At this season, the solar system’s plane, known as the ecliptic, makes a low angle with the western horizon.  Any planet modestly east of the sun after sundown is near the horizon and in brighter twilight. 

Venus’ emergence from bright sunlight suffers from this low angle.  It is low in the western sky for over the next month.

Evening Gibbous Moon

2024, June 17: After sundown, the moon is to Spica’s lower left and near Zubenelgenubi.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 17: After sundown, the moon is to Spica’s lower left and near Zubenelgenubi.

This evening after sundown, the gibbous moon, 84% illuminated, is 30° up in the south. It is over 15° to Spica’s lower left and 6.1° to the lower right of Zubenelgenubi, the Scorpion’s southern claw.  In this moonlight, use a binocular to see the arachnid’s dimmer stars.

The moon sets tomorrow morning over two hours before sunup.

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