May 14, 2026: A waning crescent moon points to Saturn before sunrise, while Venus moves past Taurus’ horns and closes the gap to Jupiter in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:32 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:03 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
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sun, Moon
Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, daylight lasts 14 hours, 31 minutes, compared to 13 hours, 23 minutes in Miami. Farther northward, Anchorage has 17 hours, 25 minutes of daylight, although there is no complete darkness, only twilight all night. The sun is overhead at local noon at latitude 18° north. South of the equator, daylight spans 10 hours, 12 minutes in Auckland.
Moon: At the waning crescent phase, the moon, 8% illuminated, is visible low in the eastern sky during morning twilight. It is nearly 11° to Saturn’s left. The moon is New in two mornings, followed by an evening appearance and the First Quarter phase on May 23.
Inner Planets
Mercury: The Elusive Planet is at superior conjunction today on the sun’s far side. It is not visible because it is nearly behind the sun. Mercury moves into the western evening sky later in the month, joining the Venus–Jupiter display of bright planets.
Venus: The Evening Star shines brightly from the west-northwest during evening twilight. It is bright enough to be seen as early as 30 minutes after sundown. Venus steps eastward in front of Taurus. Tonight, it passes 3.7° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri, the Bull’s southern horn. The planet is 4.5° to the upper left of Elnath, the northern horn. Venus moves each evening, closing the gap with Jupiter, 25.8° to the upper left. Tonight, Venus sets over 2.5 hours after sunset.
Outer Planets
Mars: Still in bright morning twilight after its solar conjunction in January, the Red Planet rises about an hour before daybreak. By the time Mars is high enough above the horizon, the sky is too bright to see it. It is first visible later next month.
Jupiter: The Jovian Giant is about 35° above the west horizon an hour after sunset. As the second brightest starlike body in the night sky, after Venus, Jupiter slowly rambles eastward in front of Gemini. It is 6.8° to the lower left of Pollux and 9.7° to Castor’s lower left, the Twins. It moves considerably slower than Venus. This sets up a conjunction on June 9, when the brilliant planet passes by.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder is in the eastern sky before sunrise. While low, it can be seen from a spot with a clear view to the east or from a hilltop. This morning, the waning crescent moon is nearly 11° to the left. Use a binocular to initially locate Saturn. It appears slightly higher in the eastern sky each morning, but it is noticeably higher from week to week.
Uranus: The Tilted World is in bright sunlight, setting shortly after the sun. It is at solar conjunction on May 22. Uranus is visible later in the summer before sunrise near the Pleiades.
Neptune: The Distant Planet rises about 20 minutes before Saturn, but it is too low, and morning twilight washes out any hope for a binocular view. It is a binocular object in a darker sky later in the summer.
As daylight increases across the northern hemisphere, look for Saturn and the moon before sunrise. After sunset, Venus continues closing the gap to Jupiter. Mercury joins the evening planet display after today’s superior conjunction.
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