December 28, 2024: Before sunrise, a Moon-Antares conjunction occurs in the southeastern sky. Mercury, in its final appearance of the year, is nearby.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:18 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 4:28 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Beginning this morning and continuing through January 9th, sunrise is at its latest time. Daylight is slowly increasing, lengthening about one minute each day.
Morning Crescent Moon
Forty-five minutes before sunrise, a lovely crescent moon, 6% illuminated, is over 5° above the southeast horizon. The lunar orb is completing the last lunation of the year. The New moon occurs on the 30th at 4:27 p.m. Central Time, beginning lunation 1262, the number of lunar cycles since the count began in 1923.
Bright Mercury is Nearby
Mercury, in its final appearance of the year, is over 9° to the moon’s left. The speedy planet is bright, but use a binocular to locate it. It is easily seen without the optical assist once it is identified.
Moon-Antares Conjunction
Look carefully for the star Antares, Scorpius’ brightest star, 1.0° to the lunar crescent’s lower left. The reddish star color blends with the hues of morning twilight and makes it somewhat challenging to see. Use a binocular to see Antares and the moon nearby.
The star Al Niyat, meaning “the artery,” is to the upper right. Tau Scorpii (τ Sco on the chart) is sometimes labelled with the same name on star charts. Since they flank Antares, the brighter star marks the Scorpion’s heart.
After its solar conjunction, the Scorpion crawls across the horizon. Its classic claws, marked by Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, reach westward. The forehead or crown, Dschubba, is 7.2° to the lunar crescent’s upper right. The arachnid’s body and tail are still below the horizon and from the mid-northern latitudes, it is fully visible during February.
The moon occults the star from the southern Pacific Ocean. For sky watchers in southern South America, the occultation occurs during the daytime.
Look for the Mercury and a Moon-Antares conjunction before sunrise.
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