May 20, 2026: See the waxing crescent moon near Jupiter after sunset while brilliant Venus shines in the west-northwest. Saturn climbs higher before sunrise as Mercury moves into the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:26 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 8:09 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: At Chicago’s latitude, daylight spans 14 hours, 43 minutes, nearly 75 minutes longer than in Miami. Farther northward, daylight lasts 17 hours, 55 minutes in Anchorage. The sun is overhead at local noon at latitude 20° north. South of the equator, the sun is in the sky for only 10 hours, 7 minutes in Auckland. The summer solstice occurs on June 21 at 3:24 a.m. Central Time.
Moon: The waxing crescent moon, 24% illuminated, is nearly 40° above the western horizon an hour after sunset. It is 7.2° to Jupiter’s upper left. Tonight is likely the last evening to see earthshine on the moon’s night portion during this waxing phase. The lunar orb reaches the First Quarter phase at 6:11 a.m. Central Time, when the moon is below the horizon in the western hemisphere.
Inner Planets
Mercury: The Elusive Planet speeds into the evening sky, joining brilliant Venus and Jupiter in less than a week. Tonight, it is over 5° above the horizon at sunset. It sets nearly 45 minutes after sundown. In a week, it sets over 70 minutes after sunset.
Venus: The Evening Star shines from the west-northwest after sunset. As the third brightest celestial body in the sky, Venus is visible as early as 30 minutes after sunset. Thirty minutes later, the planet is over 15° above the horizon. It steps eastward in front of Gemini near Castor’s foot, one of the Twins. Venus moves to within 20° of Jupiter as their conjunction approaches on June 9.
Outer Planets
Mars: The Red Planet continues to slowly emerge from bright morning twilight. This morning it rises about 75 minutes before daybreak. Thirty minutes later, it is 5° above the eastern horizon. Twilight is too bright to easily locate the planet. Its visibility suffers from the low angle the plane of the solar system makes with the eastern horizon on spring mornings.
Jupiter: The Jovian Giant shines brightly from nearly 30° above the western horizon one hour after sunset. Jupiter slowly rambles eastward in front of Gemini, 6.4° to Pollux’s lower left and 7.2° to the crescent moon’s lower right. The bright planet sets about four hours after sunset.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder appears in the eastern sky before sunrise. An hour before sunrise, Saturn is nearly 10° above the eastern horizon. While not yet in a prime location for telescope observation, the planet is higher in the sky each morning and easier to see throughout the spring and summer months. Saturn slowly plods eastward in front of Cetus.
Uranus: The Tilted World is lost in the sun’s glare, setting a few minutes after sunset. It is first visible in early summer through a binocular near the Pleiades star cluster.
Neptune: The Distant World is very dim and in the same general direction as Saturn. It is not visible during twilight.
Find Venus, Jupiter, and the moon after sunset. Look for Saturn before sunrise. Mercury joins the evening planet display later in the month. Wait for better observing conditions to see Mars, Uranus, and Neptune.
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