2024, September 30: Morning Leo Moon

September 30, 2024: The morning crescent Leo moon is in the eastern sky before sunrise. During nighttime hours, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are visible.

Venus and crescent Moon, November 12, 2020
Photo Caption – 2020, November 12: One hour before sunrise, brilliant Venus is 0.3° to the lower left of Theta Virginis (θ Vir) in the east-southeastern sky. The crescent moon is 6.5° above Venus and 2.9° to the lower left of Gamma Virginis (γ Vir).

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:47 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:33 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Daylight Shortens

2023, February 11: Venus and Jupiter in the west-southwest after sundown.
Photo Caption – 2023, February 11: Venus and Jupiter in the west-southwest after sundown.

With September’s end, daylight lasts 11 hours, 46 minutes.  During the month, the day’s length lost 80 minutes.

Mercury at Superior Conjunction

Mercury is at superior conjunction, meaning that the sun is between Earth and Mercury.  The planet moves into the evening sky, reaching greatest elongation during mid-November.

Four Bright Planets Nightly

Venus clouds from the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet shows phases. (NASA photo)
Image Caption – Venus clouds from the Hubble Space Telescope. The planet shows phases. (NASA photo)

Four bright planets are visible during the nighttime.  Evening Star Venus shines through the hues of bright evening twilight. At 30 minutes after sunset, it is nearly 10° above the west-southwest horizon.

As the sky darkens further, Saturn is about 20° above the east-southeast horizon.  It is not striking like Venus or Jupiter, but it is the brightest star in the region.  As Saturn becomes visible, look for Venus in the west-southwest.

Jupiter, center, and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument 2.12 micron filter. Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and B. Holler and J. Stansberry (STScI)
Photo Caption – Jupiter, center, and its moon Europa, left, are seen through the James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared sensors. The Great Red Spot is the bright oval on the lower right of the planet’s globe. (Image Credit: NASA)

Jupiter and Mars are slowly shifting toward the evening sky.  They are first visible in the east-northeast around midnight.  Look for them high in the southern sky during morning twilight.  While not as bright as Venus, Jupiter is the brightest star in the sky at this time.  The planet slowly plods eastward near Taurus’ horns. 

Mars is not as bright as Jupiter, but it marches eastward in front of Gemini, nearing Castor and Pollux, to Jupiter’s lower left.

Here is today’s sky watching highlight:

Morning Leo Moon
Chart Caption – 2024, September 30: The thin crescent moon is with Leo in the eastern sky during morning twilight.

An hour before sunrise, find the crescent moon, 5% illuminated, nearly 10° above the eastern horizon.  Find an observing spot with a clear horizon looking eastward.  This is the third morning that the lunar orb appears in front of Leo.

This morning the moon is nearly 15° to Regulus’ lower left, Leo’s brightest star, and over 13° to Denebola’s upper right, the Lion’s tail.  A binocular is needed to see the star.

Look for Leo

Leo is a westward-facing celestial lion we see in silhouette.  The head is outlined by a half-dozen stars making a backwards question mark, also known as the Sickle of Leo.  Regulus is at the bottom of the shape at the sickle’s handle.  The lion’s haunches and tail are marked by a triangle. Denebola is the farthest eastern bright star in the constellation.

Leo is visible in the night sky from early autumn mornings in the east to summer evenings in the west. It starts the evening high in the south during May.

Tomorrow the lunar crescent is a challenging view low in the eastern sky during morning twilight.  The New moon occurs on October 2nd.

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