September 27, 2024: This morning the moon appears with the Beehive star cluster in the eastern sky before daybreak, a Moon-Beehive conjunction. Four planets – Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are visible during the night.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:44 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:38 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Nightly Planet Display
Four bright planets are visible during a single night. Venus and Saturn are visible after sunset. At thirty minutes after sundown, Venus is low in the west-southwest. Unlike most other celestial bodies, it shines through the bright colorful hues of evening’s light.
Look for Saturn in the east-southeast before Venus sets. More planets join the evening display later in the year, first Jupiter, followed by Mars.
During the night Saturn moves farther westward, disappearing behind the blurring effects of the air near the horizon about 90 minutes before sunrise.
Jupiter rises around midnight followed by Mars an hour later. By morning twilight, they are high in the southeastern sky.
Mercury nears its superior conjunction, on the sun’s far side in three days. It then moves into the evening sky during November.
Here is today’s sky watching highlight:
Moon-Beehive Conjunction
A lovely crescent moon, 24% illuminated, is in the eastern sky during morning twilight. It is midway from Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins, to Regulus, Leo’s brightest star. This celestial region is Cancer.
Use a binocular to spot the Beehive star cluster in the same binocular field with the lunar crescent. The stellar bundle is visible to the unaided eye in a dark location. The cluster appears larger than the moon.
The Beehive is nearly 600 light years away, farther than the Pleiades, and has a few hundred member stars. The stars are not as blue as the comparison cluster.
Earthshine
Through the binocular look for earthshine, reflected sunlight from Earth’s features that gently lights up the lunar night.
Jupiter and Mars
This morning bright Jupiter is high in the south at this hour. It plods eastward in front of Taurus, near Elnath, the Bull’s northern horn. The planet appears to begin to move westward or retrograde next month.
Mars, marches eastward in front of Gemini, 12.3° to Pollux’s upper right.
Tomorrow morning, the moon is above Regulus. A MJupioon-Regulus conjunction occurs in two mornings.
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