July 15, 2024: Mars and Uranus are in a close conjunction today. Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the morning, while Mercury and the gibbous moon are in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:29 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:24 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, Mars in Eastern Sky
A Mars-Uranus conjunction occurs this morning. The separation is only 0.5°.
The Red Planet rises nearly four hours before daybreak. Two hours later the planet is about 20° up in the east, an altitude where dim Uranus can be seen through a binocular. This is about the time morning twilight begins in the eastern sky. Before morning’s early light washes out the dimmer stars, Uranus is visible until about mid-twilight or an hour before daybreak,
Here’s how to find the scene. An hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter is about 20° up in the east. It is the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning. Do not confuse it with the star Capella, nearly 30° up in the northeast, noticeably dimmer than Jupiter and to the planet’s upper left.
Jupiter is 4.9° to the upper left of Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star. Along with the Hyades star cluster, Aldebaran makes the “V” of Taurus, outlining the Bull’s head. Through the binocular, take a side trip to the region to see this figure along with up to four of Jupiter’s largest and brightest moons.
Mars-Uranus Conjunction
Mars, 30° up in the east and less than 15° to Jupiter’s upper right, is bright, but not dazzling like the Jovian Giant. The red-orange star is near the Pleiades star cluster, resembling a miniature dipper, riding on the Bull’s back in celestial artwork.
With the binocular, place Mars at the center of the field of view. Aquamarine Uranus is immediately to Mars’ upper left. It is considerably dimmer than Mars, although brighter than 14 Tauri (14 Tau on the chart) and dimmer than 13 Tauri (13 Tau) to Mars lower left toward the edge of the field.
If you miss this conjunction, Mars and Uranus are in the same binocular field of view until the 26th, as Mars continues its eastward march toward a Jupiter-Mars conjunction on August 14th.
Mars, Uranus, and Pleiades
An added feature of this view is that Mars enters the same binocular field with the Pleiades star cluster. It passes the brightest star in the stellar bundle, known as Alcyone or Eta Tauri, on the 21st. Uranus is in the same binocular field with the Pleiades until 2027.
Mars passes Uranus again in a close conjunction on July 4, 2026. Again, the planet pair and the Pleiades star cluster are in the same field of view.
Saturn in Southern Sky
During twilight this morning, Saturn is about halfway up in the south, retrograding in front of a dim Aquarius starfield. Unlike the Taurus region, the constellation has fewer bright and easily recognizable stars. In the next constellation southward, known as the Southern Fish, Fomalhaut – the mouth – is to Saturn’s lower right and about 20° above the horizon.
Evening Sky
Venus
Venus continues a slow crawl into the evening sky. It sets 42 minutes after the sun, during brighter twilight.
Mercury, Regulus: Binocular View
About the time Venus sets, Mercury, visible through a binocular, is less than 7° above the western horizon. It reaches its greatest separation from the sun in a week. The planet sets earlier each night and fades from view. The star Regulus, Leo’s brightest, is 10.0° to Mercury’s upper left. They are too far apart to fit into the same binocular field.
Mercury is rapidly overtaking Earth, passing between our planet and the sun on August 18th, rapidly moving into the morning sky for its best predawn view of the year.
Moon, Near Scorpion
An hour after sundown, the bright gibbous moon, 70% illuminated, is 25° up in the south-southwest. The lunar orb is below two stars, Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, that mark the classic Scorpion’s claws. The stellar pair is part of today’s Libra.
In this moonlight, block the moon’s globe with your hand to see the stars. A binocular helps with the view.
Tonight, the moon sets after midnight.
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