2024, November 6:  Autumn’s Midpoint, Evening Venus, Moon

November 6, 2024:  Autumn’s midpoint occurs today.  Look for Venus and the crescent moon after sunset.

Autumn Leaves
Photo Caption – Autumn Leaves (Photo by Alex Kozlov on Pexels.com)

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:30 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:38 p.m. CDT.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Autumn’s Midpoint

Autumn’s midpoint occurs today at 5:02 a.m. Central Time.  The season lasts 89 days, 20 hours, and 35 minutes.  Daylight continues to shorten.  Today it is 10 hours, eight minutes long at Chicago’s latitude.  In comparison, Miami, Florida’s daylight is nearly an hour longer (11 hours, 3 minutes.)

Four Bright Planets

A comparison of Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars. (NASA)
Chart Caption – A comparison of Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars. (NASA)

Four bright planets are visible during the nighttime.  Brilliant Venus and Saturn are visible after sundown.  Jupiter rises several minutes before Venus sets, while Mars is visible in the east-northeast before midnight.

For those leaving during morning darkness for work or other obligations, Jupiter is in the western sky, while Mars is high in the south-southwest.

Here is today’s sky watching highlight:

Venus, Moon after sunset.
Chart Caption – 2024, November 6: Venus and the crescent moon are in the southwestern sky after sundown.

This evening step outside around 45 minutes after sunset.  Look toward the southwest.  Brilliant Venus is over 10° above the horizon.  Find a clear view toward the planet.  It is low in the sky, but shines through the colorful hues of evening twilight.

Moon and Venus, 2020
Photo Caption – The crescent moon appears near Venus as the brilliant planet approaches the star Elnath.

This evening the crescent moon, 27% illuminated, is less than 20° above the south-southwest horizon.  It is over 20° to Venus’ upper left and nearly 60° to Saturn’s lower right that is 30° up in the southeast.

The lunar crescent is bright enough to slightly illuminate the ground and cast shadows.  Look carefully for earthshine on the lunar surface. This is reflected sunlight from Earth’s features that gently light up the lunar night.  Until the lunar orb is at the waning crescent phase in a few weeks, this is the last morning to see this effect.

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