November 11, 2024: Venus is at its extreme southern point. By month’s end it is higher in the sky. Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars are in the sky before midnight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:36 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:33 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Morning Sky
Jupiter before Sunrise
Two bright planets are visible before sunrise. Bright Jupiter is less than halfway up in the western sky. It is the brightest starlike body in the sky this morning, easily outshining Sirius that is over 20° above the southwest horizon.
Jupiter retrogrades in front of Taurus, between Elnath and Zeta Tauri, the Bull’s horns. The planet is 10.5° above topaz Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star.
Uranus in a Binocular
Uranus is in the same binocular field of view with the Pleiades star cluster that rides on the Bull’s back. It is an easy find near the stars 13 Tauri and 14 Tauri.
Mars nears the Beehive
Mars is farther east and higher in the sky. Resembling Aldebaran’s color, the Red Planet is only dimmer than Jupiter and Sirius. It is high in the south-southwest, 10.0° to Pollux’s lower left, one of the Gemini Twins.
Mars marches eastward in front of dim Cancer. Use a binocular to look for Asellus Australis, 7.0° to the planet’s left. The Beehive star cluster, an amalgamation of about 200 stars is in the field of view. It is about three times the moon’s size in the sky, although it is nearly 600 light years away. The cluster appears as a fuzzy cloud to the unaided eye in a dark location. Mars appears in the same field of view with the stellar bundle until year’s end.
Evening Sky
Mercury
Mercury is hidden by bright evening twilight. At 30 minutes after sunset, it is less than 4° above the southwest horizon and 18° to Venus’ lower right. This is a challenging view through a binocular.
Venus at Southern Extreme
Venus is visible in the southwest as the sky darkens. By an hour after nightfall, the Evening Star is nearly 10° above the southwest horizon. This evening Venus treks past the ecliptic’s southern-most point. When the sun is at this place, this event is known as the winter solstice, the beginning of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere.
After tonight, Venus rapidly climbs into the evening sky. Tonight, it sets 135 minutes after sunset. By month’s end, the time interval between sunset and Venus set grows to nearly three hours. The planet is easier to see each evening.
Venus steps eastward in front of Sagittarius. Through a binocular, watch it approach the star Kaus Borealis, cataloged as Lambda Sagittarii (λ Sgr on the chart). Venus appears near the star on the 16th and 17th. Use a binocular to see the starfield with the planet.
Saturn and Gibbous Moon
The gibbous moon, 79% illuminated, is 30° above the southeast horizon and over 13° to Saturn’s left. Tonight, the moon occults Neptune. A large aperture telescope is needed to see the planet with this bright moonlight. On moonless nights, Neptune is visible through a binocular, but the moonlight overwhelms the dimmer world tonight.
Saturn, considerably dimmer than Venus, slowly retrogrades in front of Aquarius. Its westward trek ends in five nights, and it resumes its direct or eastward travel in front of the stars.
Jupiter Rises before Venus Sets
Jupiter rises 96 minutes after the sun and nearly 40 minutes before Venus sets. The window to see them simultaneously, Jupiter in the east-northeast and Venus in the southwest, increases about five minutes from night to night.
By three hours after sundown, Jupiter is nearly 15° above the east-northeast horizon.
Mars Follows Jupiter
Mars rises over three hours after Jupiter and nearly five hours after nightfall. An hour later it is over 10° above the east-northeast horizon and 10.1° below Pollux.
Jupiter and Mars appear farther westward during the night. During twilight in the morning, they are nearly in the same locations where they appeared this morning.
RECENT PODCASTS
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, September 19: Venus at Greatest Illuminated Extent: Evening Crescent Grows Larger
September 19, 2026: Venus reaches its greatest illuminated extent tonight, appearing larger through a telescope while showing an evening crescent phase. Learn why the Evening Star shines so brilliantly before sunset. - 2026, September 18: First Quarter Moon Near Sagittarius, Venus in Evening Twilight, Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise
September 18, 2026: The First Quarter Moon shines near Sagittarius after sunset while brilliant Venus descends into evening twilight. Saturn nears opposition, and Jupiter and … Continue reading 2026, September 18: First Quarter Moon Near Sagittarius, Venus in Evening Twilight, Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise - 2026, September 17: Mars Passes Pollux Before Sunrise: Watch the Red Planet Align With Twins
September 17, 2026: Before sunrise, Mars passes Pollux in a wide conjunction while Jupiter shines from Cancer. Follow the Red Planet’s eastward march against Gemini as it closes the gap with Jupiter. - 2026, September 16: Venus After Sunset, Moon Near Antares, Saturn Near Opposition, Jupiter and Mars Before Sunrise
September 16, 2026: Brilliant Venus shines low in evening twilight while the crescent moon appears near Antares. Saturn nears opposition, and Jupiter and Mars are in the eastern predawn sky. - 2026, September 15-18: Moon Passes Antares: Earthshine, Scorpius, and the Harvest Moon Path
2026, September 15-18: Watch the waxing crescent moon pass Antares, Scorpius, Ophiuchus, and Sagittarius. See earthshine, photograph the lunar crescent, and follow the moon’s path toward the Harvest Moon.