July 1, 2024: Before sunrise, Aldebaran makes its first morning appearance or heliacal rising near Jupiter. Mars, Saturn and the moon are in the region. Find Mercury after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:20 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.
The month opens with 15 hours, nine minutes of daylight. By month’s end sunshine decreases 44 minutes at Chicago’s latitude.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Aldebaran’s Heliacal Rising
The star Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest, makes its first morning appearance or heliacal rising. The star is easy to locate, 5.1° to Jupiter’s lower right. The planet is nearly 11° up in the east-northeast. Find a clear horizon to see the pair.
Depending on local circumstances, such as the sky’s clarity, clouds near the horizon, and obstacles in the way, Aldebaran might not be visible. The heliacal rising is more than just the theoretical appearance date, but being able to see the star is key to the first appearance date.
To locate Jupiter and Aldebaran this morning, first locate the crescent moon, 23% illuminated, and less than one-third of the way up in the eastern sky. It is 4.4° to Mars’ upper right, and they make a pretty sight through a binocular.
Earthshine
Look for earthshine on the moon, on the night portion, between the cusps or horns. This is from sunlight reflecting from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land. That reflection softly lights the lunar night.
Mars is marching eastward in front of Aries, nearly 14° below Hamal, the constellation’s brightest star. The Red Planet is moving toward Jupiter and their conjunction on August 14th. This morning Mars is over 20° to Jupiter’s upper right with Aldebaran nearby.
Saturn
Saturn is in the region, less than halfway up in the south-southeast. It seems to stand alone, without any bright stars nearby, although Fomalhaut and Deneb Kaitos are lower near the horizon.
Saturn is slowly retrograding in front of Aquarius, among a dim starfield. A binocular is needed to see the stellar background from urban and suburban settings.
Evening Sky
Venus Slow Emergence
Nearly a month after its superior conjunction on the sun’s far side, Venus is slowly moving into the western evening sky. Tonight, it sets near the end of Civil Twilight, occurring 35 minutes after sunset at this season, when the sun is 6° below the horizon.
Mercury
Mercury is separating from the sun and fading in brightness each evening. This evening apparition is disappointing because the speedy planet sets around the middle of evening twilight, occurring over an hour after sundown. To see the planet, look earlier, about 30 minutes after nightfall.
Use a binocular to see Mercury about 7° up in the west-northwest. Appearing as a bright star, the planet is near the top of the binocular field if the horizon is at the bottom. Slowly sweeping the binocular from side to side along the west-northwest horizon may assist with the initial identification.
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