October 5, 2024: After sundown, see a rare Venus, Moon, star gathering in the west-southwest. The planet and lunar crescent are with Zubenelgenubi, the Scorpion’s southern claw.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:50 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:28 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Rare Venus, Moon, Star Gathering
After sundown, brilliant Venus, crescent Moon, and Zubenelgenubi gather in the western sky. Begin looking about 30 minutes after sundown. The brilliant planet shines from the west-southwest from over 7° above the horizon. Find a clear horizon looking in that direction. A hilltop or elevated structure improves the view.
At this point the crescent moon, 9% illuminated, is 4.3° to Venus’ lower left. If the pair is not visible, try to see it with a binocular.
As the sky darkens further, Venus and the moon are lower in the sky. Ten minutes later than the initial observation, the lunar orb is only 3° above the horizon, but easily seen from an ideal observing spot and clear weather.
Through the binocular fit, Venus, crescent Moon, and the star Zubenelgenubi, the Scorpion’s southern claw, into the same binocular field of view. They span 5.5°, from the lower left edge or limb of the moon to the star.
Tonight, Venus passes 0.9° to the star’s lower left, a Venus-Zubenelgenubi conjunction. Every eight years on approximately the same date, Venus passes through the same regions of the sky. On October 4, 2032, Venus again appears with the star in the west-southwest after sundown, but the moon is not part of the scene on this date. More about this below.
Rare Gatherings
Close gatherings, such as tonight’s bunching are rare and they can occur during specific date windows. Theoretically, Venus can pass Zubenelgenubi in the evening sky from approximately the Autumnal Equinox to mid-October.
Before sunrise, the conjunction window occurs from approximately November 23rd through the Winter Solstice.
Venus does not venture far from the sun. Its maximum separation from the central star is approximately 45°, creating the windows of time when the planet can be seen near the star. Venus and the star are not together during spring and summer.
Further, Venus and the star appear in the same binocular field for about two weeks, half the lunar cycle.
Each month, the moon passes Venus and Zubenelgenubi, but syncing the cycles of the three is more complex.
Future Gatherings
For our sky watching purposes, a close gathering occurs when our triplet appears in the same binocular field of view, and the observation is from North America’s Central Time Zone. For a conjunction between two bodies, the separation is described such as tonight’s planet-star conjunction. For three or more bodies a circle is used to describe their gathering. Here are upcoming gatherings and their proximity:
| Date | Size of Circle |
| November 18, 2025 | 8.8° |
| January 2, 2027 | 14.4° |
| October 30, 2027 (in sunlight) | 12.8° |
| December 13, 2028 | 12.6° |
| September 11, 2029 With Jupiter (18.0°) | 13.8° |
| October 26, 2030 (in sunlight) | 16.9° |
| December 11, 2031 | 7.3° |
| October 7, 2032 | 8.8° |
Next Close Gathering
The next gathering that fits into the same binocular field occurs before sunrise on December 11, 2031. Venus and the crescent moon are nicely placed in the southeastern sky, a pretty scene by themselves. The star is 4.0° from the lunar crescent.
Venus and Zubenelgenubi are at the edges of the same field of view and the lunar crescent is near the star. This is a tight fit. For sky watchers in the eastern hemisphere, Venus appears too far away from the star to see them in the same field of view.
2032 Gathering
On the evening of October 7, 2032, four nights after the Venus-Zubenelgenubi conjunction, the triplet is too far apart for western hemisphere sky watchers. In Europe, they fit into a circle 4.5° in diameter. By the time the sky is dark in the Americas, the moon moves away from the planet and the star, too far to see together through a binocular.
These events occur from the dynamic nature of the solar system. The moon moves quickly during a month against the distant stars. Venus appears to step quickly against the starfield from night to night.
Look for Venus in the southwestern sky after nightfall. Watch the moon appear with it tonight, then wax as it appears farther eastward each night.
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