August 4, 20204: A Mars-Aldebaran conjunction occurs as the Red Planet marches eastward in front of Taurus. Mars is rapidly overtaking Jupiter before sunrise.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:48 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:05 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Today’s New Moon
The moon reaches the New phase this morning at 6:13 a.m. Central Time, starting lunation 1257 – the number of lunar cycles since the count began in 1923. Look for the moon above Venus tomorrow evening through a binocular.
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Mars-Aldebaran Conjunction
The three bright outer planets – Jupiter, Mars and Saturn – are in the sky before sunrise. Mars, marching eastward in front of Taurus, passes 4.9° to Aldebaran’s upper left, the Bull’s brightest star, this morning.
Here is how to find the scene:
An hour before sunrise, bright Jupiter, the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning, is over 35° up in the east. It is 6.7° to Aldebaran’s left and nearly 10° to Elnath’s upper right, the Bull’s northern horn.
Mars is about the same brightness and color as Aldebaran. It is 5.1° to Jupiter’s upper right. Mars overtakes Jupiter in 10 mornings. Watch the gap close, as Mars moves about 0.5° each morning, about the width of a pinky finger at arm’s length viewed against the sky.
This is the last morning to see Mars with Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster in the same binocular field. The bright star and stellar collection make a letter “V” that outlines the Bull’s head.
Orion Returns
The four bright stars – Betelgeuse, Rigel, Saiph, and Bellatrix – that outline Orion, along with the three dimmer belt stars, are in the eastern sky below the Jupiter-Mars planet chase.
Morning Saturn
At this time, Saturn is less than halfway up in the south-southwest. It retrogrades against Aquarius’ dim stars. Saturn’s apparent westward trek is an illusion as our faster moving Earth approaches and passes between Saturn and the sun, known as opposition, on September 7th.
Saturn retrogrades until November. Watch its motion through a binocular.
Saturn is above the star Fomalhaut, meaning the mouth of the Southern Fish.
Evening Sky
Mercury is veiled in bright evening twilight, setting about 30 minutes after the sun.
Venus
Venus is slowly emerging from bright sunlight. It can be found low in the west-northwest at 30 minutes after sundown. Unlike other dimmer planets, the Evening Star shines through twilight. Initially find it through a binocular. Then look without the optical assist.
Saturn
Saturn rises 90 minutes after sunset. Three hours after sundown, the Ringed Wonder is over 15° above the east-southeast horizon. During the night, it is farther westward, appearing in the south-southwest during morning twilight, disappearing from view as the sun’s appearance nears.
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