August 2, 2024: Before sunrise a thin crescent moon is near the Gemini Twins. Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are visible before sunrise, Venus after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:46 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:07 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Morning Sky
Morning Crescent Moon
This morning a pretty crescent moon, 4% illuminated, is low in the east-northeast an hour before sunrise. It is to the right of the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. Locate a clear horizon looking in that direction.
Look carefully for earthshine, sunlight reflected from Earth’s features that softly lights the lunar night.
The moon reaches the New moon phase at 6:13 a.m. Central Time on the 4th. It appears with Venus during bright evening twilight on the 5th.
Jupiter and Mars with Taurus
Bright Jupiter and Mars are in the eastern sky before sunrise. The Jovian Giant is the brightest star in the sky this morning, 6.6° to Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus’ brightest star, and over 10° to Elnath’s right, the Bull’s northern horn.
Dimmer Mars is 6.1° to Jupiter’s upper right and overtaking the more-distant world for a conjunction on the 14th.
Through a binocular, Mars is passing the Hyades cluster. With Aldebaran, the stellar bundle makes the “V” of Taurus, outlining the Bull’s head. This morning it passes 2.0° from Epsilon Tauri (ε Tau on the chart), on the opposite side of the V from Aldebaran.
Saturn
At this hour Saturn is in the south-southwest in front of Aquarius. As Earth overtakes Saturn, passing between the sun and the Ringed Wonder next month, the planet appears before sunrise, rising later the night before. So, it is visible before and after midnight.
Evening Sky
Mercury
Mercury recedes into bright sunlight. The planet is dim and veiled by evening twilight. It sets 41 minutes after sunset. Heading toward inferior conjunction, between Earth and Sun, later this month, the speedy planet appears in the eastern sky before sunrise next month.
Venus
Venus is low in the western sky at 30 minutes after sundown. As the third brightest regular visitor in the sky, it can be seen during bright twilight. Initially use a binocular to find it.
Evening Saturn
Saturn rises 96 minutes after nightfall. By three hours after sundown, it is nearly 15° above the east-southeast horizon. Find it in the south-southwest before sunrise.
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