2024, June 19: Moon Approaches Antares

June 19, 2024: Moon nears Antares after sunset.  Jupiter is joining Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky before sunrise.

Bright Moon (Generated by AI)
Chart Caption – Bright Moon (Generated by AI)

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:16 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:29 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Sunrise begins to advance later today.  The latest sunset time begins on the 22nd and lasts nine days.

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Morning Sky

Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn before Sunrise

2024, June 19: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky along the ecliptic’s arc.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 19: One hour before sunrise, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are in the eastern sky along the ecliptic’s arc.

Jupiter is easier to see each morning.  Along with Mars and Saturn, the three planets identify the plane of the solar system, where the planets revolve around the sun.  The distant stars make a background to watch their motions.

Start an hour before sunrise.  Saturn, considerably dimmer than Jupiter, but brighter than most stars this morning, is one-third of the way from the horizon to overhead in the southeast.

Mars is farther eastward, 20° above the east horizon.  It is widening a gap with Saturn after their conjunction during April and closing one to Jupiter.

Visualize a diagonal line from Saturn to Mars.  It helps to extend your arm and make a slow sweeping motion. Once at Mars continue along the imaginary diagonal toward the east-northeast horizon to bright Jupiter, less than 4° above the horizon.  The Jovian Giant is the third brightest regular visitor to the nighttime and can be seen near the horizon at this hour.

Jupiter, Higher Later During Twilight

The imaginary arc that connects the three planets is the approximate location of the plane of the solar system, known as the ecliptic.

2024, June 19: At 45 minutes before daybreak, Jupiter is in the east-northeast. Use a binocular to see Mars to Jupiter’s upper right.
Chart Caption – 2024, June 19: At 45 minutes before daybreak, Jupiter is in the east-northeast. Use a binocular to see Mars to Jupiter’s upper right.

Wait another 15 minutes to see Jupiter a little higher in the sky, but at this level of twilight, Mars and Saturn are hidden by the light of the approaching new day. Use a binocular to see them.

Evening Sky

Mercury and Venus in Bright Twilight

Mercury and Venus are east of the sun and opening a gap to the sun each day, but both are veiled by bright evening twilight.  Venus sets 19 minutes after the sun, followed by Mercury 15 minutes later.

Mercury’s best view occurs next month, but it is disappointing with longer twilight during summer evenings and a poor view of the solar system during that season.

Venus is on a slower course for viewing and it suffers from the same viewing angles as Mercury until later during the summer.

Moon Approaches Antares

Moon approaches Antares
Chart Caption – 2024, June 19: The bright gibbous moon is near Antares after sundown. Use a binocular to trace the Scorpion’s pattern.

This evening the bright moon approaches Antares, the Scorpion’s brightest star, meaning “the rival of Mars.”  One hour after sundown, the lunar orb, 96% illuminated, is about 20° up in the south-southeast.

Use a binocular to see the outline of the Scorpion.  Its claws, Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi, are about 20° to the moon’s upper right, while the arachnid’s forehead, Dscubba, is 4.3° to the upper right.

Later tomorrow after moonset in the Americas, the moon occults or eclipses Antares for sky watchers in eastern Asia.

The moon sets tomorrow morning over two hours before daybreak.

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