August 22, 2024: Three bright planets – Jupiter, Mars, Saturn – and the gibbous moon shine brightly before sunrise. Jupiter is the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:07 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:39 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
Three Bright Morning Planets, Moon
An hour before sunrise, the bright gibbous moon, 90% illuminated, is about halfway up in the southwest, over 19° above Saturn and about one-fifth of the way from Saturn to bright Jupiter.
The Jovian Giant is over halfway up in the east-southeast, slowly moving eastward in front of Taurus and 8.8° to Aldebaran’s lower left, the brightest star in Taurus. The solar system’s largest planet is the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning.
Mars, about the same brightness and color as Aldebaran, is 3.9° to Jupiter’s lower left. The Red Planet widens its gap to Jupiter each morning after their conjunction over a week ago. The planet is about to pass between the tips of the Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri.
Mercury in Bright Twilight
Mercury is making its way into the morning sky, but it is veiled in bright twilight. It rises about 20 minutes before the sun. In a week, it is nearly 5° above the eastern horizon at 45 minutes before daybreak. On September 1st, the speedy planet is in the same binocular field with a razor-thin moon.
Evening Sky
Regulus at Conjunction
Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, sets at sunset tonight, known as the cosmic setting. The star is also at its solar conjunction today. It is the closest bright star to the plane of the solar system. The star reappears quickly, at its heliacal rising on about September 5th at the mid-northern latitudes. Mercury passes by on September 9th.
Venus’ Slow Entrance
Venus continues its slow entrance into the evening sky. At 30 minutes after nightfall, the Evening Star shines through twilight. It is only 5° above the western horizon. Use a binocular to initially locate it.
Evening Saturn, Moon
Saturn rises earlier each night. This evening it crosses the east-southeastern horizon at 43 minutes after sunset. The gibbous moon, 84% illuminated, rises about an hour after Saturn.
By three hours after sunset, the moon is nearly 15° up in the east, while Saturn is nearly 25° up in the southeast, over 30° to the lunar orb’s upper right.
Find them in the southwestern sky tomorrow morning.
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