March 13, 2026: As the Vernal Equinox approaches, daylight nears 12 hours. Venus shines in bright twilight after sunset, Jupiter stands high in Gemini, and Uranus lingers in Taurus near the Pleiades. Before sunrise, the waning crescent moon appears near the Teapot of Sagittarius.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:06 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 6:55 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
With the Vernal Equinox a week away, daylight approaches 12 hours. At Chicago’s latitude today, the sun is in the sky for 11 hours, 49 minutes.
In the night sky, Venus, Jupiter, and the moon are visible, while Uranus is found through a binocular.
Morning Moon, Sagittarius
Before sunrise, the crescent moon, 30% illuminated, is over 10° above the southeast horizon. One hour before sunrise, it is in the southeast with the Teapot of Sagittarius, near Tau Sagittarii (τ Sgr). The moon occults the star from the southeastern United States.
Moonlight is still bright enough to light the landscape and cast shadows. Tomorrow morning, look for earthshine on the moon’s night portion along with the thinning lunar phase.
Venus after Sunset
After sunset, brilliant Venus slowly climbs into the western evening sky. Its window of visibility widens as it sets later each night — tonight, 78 minutes after sunset. Unlike most other celestial bodies, Venus shines through the colorful hues of twilight.
The best view occurs 35 minutes after sunset, when it is nearly 10° above the western horizon. From a location with a clear view in that direction, use a binocular to initially see Venus. Then find it without the binocular’s optical assist. As the sky darkens further, the planet is lower in the west and easier to see in dimmer twilight, although clouds and other obstructions near the horizon can impede the view.
Jupiter, Gemini
As Venus descends toward the horizon, Jupiter shines brightly high in the south-southeast. The Jovian Giant shines from in front of Gemini, near Castor and Pollux. Use a binocular to watch it move eastward toward the dimmer star Wasat. Jupiter passes this star on April 30.
Less than two hours after sunset, Jupiter is high in the south-south. As the night progresses, the planet appears lower in the west, setting in the west-northwest about three hours before sunrise. Tomorrow night, find it in the south-southeast after sunset.
Uranus, Taurus
As twilight ends, Uranus is about halfway up in the west-southwest. It is in front of Taurus, highlighted by Aldebaran. With a binocular, study the Hyades star cluster that, with Aldebaran, forms the “V” of Taurus.
Binocular View
The Tilted World is near the Pleiades star cluster, resembling a tiny dipper, to the right of Aldebaran. Compare the stars’ brightness and stellar composition in this cluster to the Hyades. Appearing as an aquamarine star, Uranus is in the same binocular field as the Pleiades near 13 and 14 Tauri (Tau).
The window to see Uranus is closing. Look for it each clear evening through March 24 as the moon returns to the evening sky. As the moon waxes, its light veils dimmer celestial wonders. After early April, the moon rises later, allowing more views of Uranus, but the planet is only 25° above the western horizon at the end of twilight, where the air blurs and further dims hard-to-see bodies.
Look for the waning moon in the southeast near Sagittarius before sunrise, Venus in the west after sunset, Jupiter high in the south-southeast after sunset, and Uranus in the west-southwest after twilight ends.
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