September 23, 2024: Before sunrise, the gibbous moon nears Jupiter. Mars is to Jupiter’s lower left. Venus and Saturn are in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:40 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:45 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 the planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Moon Nears Jupiter
One hour before sunrise this morning, step outside and look overhead, the moon, 64% illuminated, is high in the southern sky. The lunar orb is at the morning half phase (Last Quarter) tomorrow at 1:50 p.m. Central Time.
Jupiter is the bright star 8.7° to the moon’s lower left. It plods eastward in front of Taurus, 6.4° to Elnath’s lower right, the Bull’s northern horn, that is 8.8° to the moon’s left.
Marching eastward in front of Gemini, Mars is nearly 20° to Jupiter’s lower left and over 14° to the upper right of Castor and Pollux, the Twins.
Mercury
Mercury recedes into bright morning twilight. It passes behind the sun at superior conjunction in a week. Then it reappears in the evening sky during November.
Evening Sky
Venus in West-Southwest
Venus shines from the west-southwest at 30 minutes after sundown. Unlike most other celestial bodies, Venus shines through the bright colorful hues of evening twilight.
Saturn Eastward
Thirty minutes later, Saturn is over 15° above the east-southeast horizon. The Ringed Wonder continues to retrograde in front of a dim Aquarius’ starfield.
Moon Closer Overnight
Jupiter and the slightly gibbous moon, 55% illuminated, rise nearly four hours after sunset. An hour later, near midnight, the bright planet is over 10° above the east-northeast horizon and 6.7° to the right of the moon.
Earlier this evening, the moon occults or eclipses Elnath, also known as Beta Tauri, for sky watchers in the Middle East and central Africa. When visible in the Americas, the moon is already east of the star.
Before sunrise, Jupiter, Mars, and the moon are again high in the southeastern sky.
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